


What Can I Do?

by Devilinureye



Category: Justice League vs. Teen Titans (2016), Lucifer (Comic), Lucifer (TV), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017)
Genre: Adult Content, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 11:21:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 56,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20759531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devilinureye/pseuds/Devilinureye
Summary: Damian returned to Gotham after 8 years just to fulfill his mission as the new Ra's Al Ghul: to find Trigon's mysterious fugitive daughter. But things get out of his control when he finds out she is sensually more dangerous than he imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on wattpad

Damian Al Ghul was in that city only for one reason: find that damn demon-girl, drag her back to hell and thus seal the partnership with hell just as his grandfather had done years ago. That was the price that damn demon, Trigon, had given and now he was here as a nanny to a girl who had resolved to play cat and mouse with his killers for 2 months. He knew that his father might appear, knew that he would have a work from hell to track down that demon in a city that exuded evil, but he wouldn't leave without her.

Despite doubting that anyone would still be looking for him in the city after 8 years, Damian preferred to change his clothes for something more western and use a disguised name on the hotel and thus, be able to mingle in the crowd without drawing unwanted attention. He didn't need a sermon from his father about going back to work with him now that he had 23 years old... Nothing in the world would make him wear the suit again.. He one day promised to honor, and he one day promised never to wear it again. 

He wouldn't be a Robin, he wouldn't be a Batman...

Never again.

He decided to look for the girl on his own after months of sending his men to look for her with no success at all. 

_"If you want a well done thing, do it yourself"_

He could hear his mother Talia talking in his mind while he analyzed the (few information collected about the girl in recent weeks), he had her physical descriptions: average height, hair on her shoulders and dark, amethyst eyes and pale skin... It wouldn't be difficult to find someone with eyes with that tone, it was impossible for someone with amethyst eyes to go unnoticed to human eyes, if she hadn't used her magic to change her body shape (and he honestly counted on that.) he would find her sooner or later.

But even with this information and this conviction that she wouldn't go unnoticed, he really didn't have nothing concrete about her whereabouts... Places, false leads, theories... When he accepted the deal with Trigon, he hadn't imagined how difficult it would be to find a frail, scared and helpless girl in a city like Gotham.

Now he knew she wasn't fragile, scared or helpless...

She somehow managed to defeat his killers and disappear with them. And somehow, make him spend all this time playing cat and mouse with her.

But he also knew that she would have one slip, one mistake... and he needed to study everything about her before attacking again. 

He had a list of places that a young woman with descriptions like hers had appeared, if he had one thing to thank for the years working with his father, is that he had inherited his abilities as detective, and that was really helpful in finding someone who didn’t want to be found, like a demon girl. Damian was stuck in the hotel room for two days, analyzing the information, stopping work from time to time just to use the bathroom, eat, bathe and make his tea, like now, while he scanned the list of places for the thousandth time, trying to find a pattern which had gone unnoticed... But for the thousandth time too he couldn't see anything and that was making him angry... 

She was furtive, always disappeared, never going to the same places, never going to the same parts of the town more than once. 

\- "Oh come on, you need to have at least a place to live..." - Damian mumbled looking at the cup - "The tea is over... I think a bath will help me to think... You have a flaw, girl... And I'll find out..."

He was about to give up, take a shower and throw away that list when he noticed something he hadn't seen before: in only two places she appeared regularly: a bar located in the downtown and an apartment not far from the bar. 

Damian straightened in his chair, excited again.

The apartment would probably be her home, she wasn't seen leaving the apartment, but she always showed up coming into the building around 2:00 AM and she was always at the bar from 23:00. 

\- "I got you..."

Damian smiled with satisfaction. If she wasn't in the bar, she definitively would be in the apartment. Were two chances to finish his work, fulfill his obligations to the League and ensure the magic of the Lazarus pit in his deal with Trigon. 

He just needed to know how to approach her, fight and take her back to her father. She probably had powers and wouldn't hesitate to use them, it would be the only explanation behind the disappearance of his men for these two months, but he had a life of training, she would fall... 

He wondered why his men hadn't noticed this before. A coordinated attack on the bar in the middle of the night or in the apartment would have been enough.

So without thinking too much, Damian decided that night to go to that bar to check the information and start acting, and if he wasted his time, he swore he'd get someone's head off. 

This girl was making him crazy and he would start to end this that night.


	2. Chapter 2

He dismissed the few remaining men to return to Nanda Parbat. He would ask for reinforcements if necessary, but he had already attracted much attention and soon, his father would notice the actions of the league there.

And he was with some men there, no more than 10 after the mysterious disappearances, it wouldn't be good to lose those who stayed with him, he would have his leadership questioned and he didn't need it now, being seen as a deserter... If he lose those remaining 10 soldiers who were with him, would surely be his fall.

After taking a shower and dressing as casual as possible, he headed to the downtown, one of the most rotten places in Gotham, with a small knife hidden in his jacket as a precaution...

He found the bar without much difficulty, walking between people and stopping at the door that had a huge neon flashing _**"Pride" **_ in purple.

For a moment, he thought it wouldn't be a good idea to take that knife. But soon, that thought drifted away from his mind.

At the door, the kind of people Damian swore defeat were laughing and talking as they entered the bar... Some guys who were probably gangsters, killers, meta-humans. The security guard at the door was one of the guys he once helped his father arrest. At that time, he was just a cheap thief stealing distracted people in alleys not far from there. Damian couldn't believe that the girl worked in a bar like this... He wondered why the place hadn't attracted his attention from his father.

It was a place a devil would love to be, watching humans sin in their domain, but she was human! She ought to be disgusted by places frequented by these people... You could smell trouble on the walls of the place.

Unless she... No, he'd know if she had a problem with the police or something... Things just weren't right... Yet...

For a few seconds, when he was out there, he thought of giving up and giving it as another fake spoor and back to the hotel where he was staying to sleep a bit or go to the apartment on the list. There was no way a girl could be there.

But something made him stay there. A force he didn't know from where was coming urged him in, a voice in the back of his mind saying he should be there.

He was able to enter easily after offering money to the door security. The disgust of mingling with such people had to give way to a stoic face to keep the disguise he wore... He looked around the bar for a girl who had something like hers, anything...

Then he saw her... And he felt stuck looking at the girl who matched perfectly with the descriptions he had, but at the same time was a totally different woman.

Somehow, Damian knew it was her, Trigon's daughter.

She smiled talking to another girl in the bar, and sometimes rocked back and forth with the ballad that played on the speakers on the walls, surrounding the lively conversations on the tables. The girl sometimes spoke to men who wouldn't leave her, giving orders that they followed with discipline as she attended other guys who probably wanted more than a beer from her.

And Damian couldn't judge those men pouring themselves out on the counter to talk to her, in fact he quickly understood why she was always in high demand for male customers, who stupidly took time, purposely, choosing what they wanted. The girl wasn't only powerful, she was beautiful and without making any effort, was sensual in her way.

She looked helpless and innocent, the kind that maddened any man in the world... Damian for a second wanted to stab all the men who tried to take advantage of a girl like her.

But he ignored that feeling and controlled his mind. Dropping a breath he had been holding since the moment he saw her, he decided to look for a place to sit between the tables that had dimly lit bulbs and red sofas for the best 60's style you see in detective and gangsters movies .

In his mind, he couldn't deny that perhaps she was the most attractive woman he had ever seen. She would be the kind of woman the men of the world would kill to have and he didn't doubt that those men in the bar would be the first to do...

But he was there with a mission and not to be distracted by her, he even thought it was a device used by her.

He just didn't understand how she managed to keep the problems away being so small for so long. She wasn't strong nor did she seem dangerous (he knew she was dangerous, her many men vanished from sight after searching for her, but he didn't believe she would show up who she was).

Despite all the lust and the way these men looked at her, there was a respect for the girl who occasionally smiled at something that some guy told her or just made some drink while talking to the other woman who probably worked there too.

She had done something to achieve that kind of respect, and he would need to find out... With a little sadness, he knew he would not complete his work as fast as he imagined.

Damian would have to approach her and study how he would execute his plan, so on the couch he had chosen, not far from the field of vision, he saved in his mind any important details that he could use in his favor.

Physically she was incredibly beautiful...

Her slightly curly black hair had a purplish tone at the tips and danced around her shoulders, adorned with two little horns that seemed like a joke about who she really was, the pale skin had a slightly reddish hue and tattoos of crows scattered around her arms. The amethyst eyes on were marked by a black outline that highlighted his color, her lips were marked with a deep red lipstick that sometimes he didn't know if it was red or whether it was a magenta. She had a piercing at the corner of her lips and nose that gave a rebellious touch to her style. The black shirt she wore had a barely covered neckline with black stripes that came off the bra marking her boobs. The shirt was tight on her body, marking the curves she had, covered by a torn jeans vest. She wore a miniskirt that imitated leather and left her thighs free for the eyes, boots and two gloves.

She seemed inexplicably sensual, innocent, and beautiful to the same extent. But he knew that what she had of beauty, she had of dangerous. He knew what his father was capable of. And he could imagine what she might be capable to do.

For a few seconds, as he watched her, he saw flashes of color in her eyes, sometimes turning magenta like her lipstick, sometimes tinged with blood red. Her white teeth had small macabre fangs that he could have sworn were sharp and sometimes, if he paid close attention, he could see a purple mass coming out of her hand. And knowing who she was, he wasn't sure if the horns were just a prop or if they were part of it.

He was so lost in his thinking (and mentally controlling himself and the impulses of his body... He strangely felt a heat taking over every cell of him) that he didn't realize she was looking back at him from afar, with a curious and intrigued look. 

When he realized she was looking at him, he tried to disguise himself and look away, but when he looked at her again she was still looking, smiling and biting the corner of her lip.

She said something to the girl who also looked at Damian with the same interest, and almost floating, she walked over to the emerald-eyed man.

\- "You're new here, right?" - She said standing in front of him taking out a lollipop that matched the aesthetics of her lips - "Normally, when you go into a bar, you order a drink or a beer before you stare the attendant... Unless you're one of those stalkers guys... " - Her voice, though a little morbid, was musical. - "Then I would have to ask the security guards to take you out."

_"A voice you wouldn't mind hearing more than a few times that night..."_ Wait, what?

He shook his head to push away the thought that struck him and return to the stoic expression he had used before seeing her. Was she playing with his head?

\- "I'm not from here... I'm... from somewhere else." - He shrugged. - "And I wasn't looking at you... I was just thinking away..." - she laughed, tossing her head back.

\- "You're not from here? Interesting..." - he couldn't tell if she was bored or excited, her gaze seemed bored, but the heat in her voice made him tense. Ignoring what he had said, she bit her lip with a burning curiosity in her eyes. .

\- "So, my dear friend Karlla's dying to know if you were drooling for me or for her..."

\- "What? I told you, I wasn't 'drooling' or looking at anyone... I was thinking about my work..." - She laughed and folded her arms.

\- "Look, I saw your gaze, I could feel your gaze... You were analyzing us... No need to be ashamed, half the men here are doing it now... If you want I can call her here and- "

\- "NO!" - He interrupted her, all he didn't need now was a woman interrupting his plans to investigate the half-demon girl. - "Okay, you got me, it was for you that I was looking at..." - She smiled at the boy's nervousness, what was wrong with him? - "But it's not the way you're thinking... I was just... I was just thinking... satisfied? "

\- "Not yet..." she whispered with a strange smile on her lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Maybe I’m crazy  
I know you’re danger  
Baby, you could be, you could be  
I’m falling, fading and seeing angels  
Baby, you could be the death of me"

He was feeling like a stupid 13-year-old boy again... His mind and body acted as if he never been with a woman... Which was definitely not true, in his time as Wayne boy, he had been with some women... 

The girl smiled and sat down next to him, a purple flash flickering through her eyes as she studied the man who was looking at her trying to keep a bored face while trying not to blush.... 

\- "So, what were you _"just thinking"_ while looking at me? - She said in a low voice, resting her head on one of her hands, leaning against the back of the sofa. Somehow, despite the noise he could hear perfectly. 

\- "What?"

\- "What were you thinking while looking at me...? You said that you were thinking about work and now you said that you were looking at me... I can't see the connection between me and your work..."

He took a deep breath looking away, determined not to say anything to her. He had the feeling that his brain was melting if he kept looking at her. 

\- "Why do you want to know what I'm thinking?"

\- "Because you, little boy, are at least interesting" - She leaned down a little to get closer to him, causing him to look at her again, feeling restless in his place on the red couch. He almost dared to ask her if the air conditioner in the place was working. He cleared his throat trying to organize his mind that began to get messy. 

1x0 

Point to her, she had caught him off guard. He would need to retaliate. 

\- "Why are you saying this?"

– “Let's say I have a... Gift..." - she smiled proudly - "If I touch people, I can feel the things these people feel... Let's call it empathy... Normally, I need to touch a person to make it happen, but with you.... You have a messy mind, your thoughts and feelings almost scream to me... I could feel them before you came in here..."

\- "Bullshit..." - she seemed to have been hitted. She had lowered her guard and he hit her ego... 

Now he knew one of her weaknesses, the ego, 1x1 now. She tried to stay indifferent, but he knew her ego was hurted. A shade of red danced in her eyes.

\- "You know, as your thoughts scream at me, I can see a lot in your head, boy... I can feel anger, devotion, more anger, a need to be loved and even lust... Behind all your arrogance, there's a little scared boy..." - she laughed again, then closed her eyes for a minute, took a deep breath and then opened it again looking serious at him - "For someone your age, you seem mentally like an old man and you're so tense..." - Her lips formed a pout as if in disgust - "You should behave like a young man... Your mind would appreciate it..."

Unfortunately, ego was also one of his weaknesses too.

\- "Do you usually give unwanted advice to your clients?" - She laughed 

\- "No... Only for the ones I see they need... And you, young man, you need... You know... take a boy or a girl to home..." - He looked at her in disbelief, making her laugh - "What? I don't know, everything is possible... Who knows? I don't judge anyone..." - her fingers still run down the side of his hand, leaving goosebumps where she touched - "Anyway... You shoud pick up someone, take to your home and release all this tension... This will end up killing you..." - he pulled his hand away without looking at her.

\- "I'm not like that... And there is another way to _'release the tension'_ and I don't need of your advice..." - Damian could feel it, they were both playing with fire.

\- "You still haven't said what you want with me... But I get it, you're a brilliant but mysterious mind... You will not tell me anything until I push you to the fullest of your ego... Because you, boy, are proud just like me" - ouch! she was right and he hated it.

She called the girl and made a sign, shortly after the woman handed her a glass with a black liquid that the demon girl drank at once.

\- "Oh for the first time at night you're right... I'm not going to tell you anything... But not because it was important, but because I was thinking far and not necessarily looking at you... You're really accustomed to men in your hand here, maybe you should go out a little and see the world out of here..." - She smiled, not appearing offended at all by what he said.

\- "Little boy... I'm saying I can feel... You said you were looking at me, you can't deny and you're tense right now... I can feel your tension meters away if you leave now... You come to a bar to think about work...? Oh fuck me! You're lying! You have a problem and I'm giving you the advice on how to solve..." 

She was teasing him, her fingers playing on his arm again. 

\- "And the solution would be you?" - He looked at her, and she just laughed rolling her eyes. 

\- "No... I didn't say that, you're saying... I'm saying that you're at the peak of your 20s and you have an old man's mind... Come on, maybe you need a drink to relax... Listen to some music..." - Her fingers trailed slowly down the ziper of his jacket and then going to his neck, almost making him kick his sanity away. He needed closed his eyes trying to stay focused. He need to stop her. - "But... We can negotiate if it relaxes you... You would be an interesting toy here... I don't usually get involved with mine, let's say, toys, but with you I think I can make an exception."

\- "I know what you are... Witch..." - he said in a low, but lethal tone that only made her laugh a little more. 

\- “Do you know what i am? And wait, did you just call me a witch? You know me, you know who I am and call me a _witch_?” - She raised her brows, her nails now drawing random patterns over his chest. 

\- "I said I know what you are not who you are... I don't know much about you, just that you will not manipulate me" - He really needed to stop her game before he sent his self-control into space. He knew that right now, she was winning the battle 

\- "So you know what I am and I don't know anything about you? This is unfair...” - Her fingers slid down his abdomen and she would lower her fingers more if he didn't stop her. He caught her wrist taking over the control again, catching her off guard with the force he held her. 

\- “Yes, I know... And your game will not work for me... I'm not like those men you have in the palm of your hand, I'm a trained assassin, heir to a powerful league that will cleanse the world of people like these guys you seduce... You will not manipulate me with your game...”- She smiled biting her lip looking at him, he had touched her the way she needed to maintain a connection. It was all she needed to know everything about him.

\- “Oh..." - Her smile widened, in her eyes a purple glow while she looked away, flashes coming swiftly in her head. - "Now it's clear to me... You're the one sending those guys to catch me and fight with me! You're one of those Al Ghul! I should have noticed it, you have her eyes, Talia Al Ghul, right? ugh she was a rock in the shoe, my dad used to say that.... The same menacing tone of Ra's, the Arabic accent... This arrogance to think that can stop anyone, including people like me... oh I'm feeling stupid for not having noticed it before" - she patted her forehead and tilted her head smiling - "I just don’t understand what I did for you to come looking for me...” - she seemed thoughtful. - "I'm your _'work'_, right little boy?... or should I call you _'Boy Wonder'_...?" 

Damian squeezed more her wrist, he knew she would have a beautiful red on that pale skin of hers and she just laughed at how she'd caught him. 

\- "Don't you ever call me that again...! Or I'll completely forget that you're a woman..." - She let her head fall back in a laugh and then looked at him provocatively... 

\- "Well.... It seems like someone doesn't like old nicknames..." - she let go of his grip without any effort as if it were nothing, Damian had put on more strength than he wanted and she just broke free without any problems – “So... I'll tell you some things you might not know, bird boy. Now, I know about you too, I know your problems with this city... Who would have thought that Hell also gets the hottest Gotham gossip? The deserting Al Ghul...” - she laughed as if she had told a good joke and then looked at him again, blood red dancing in her eyes – “I still don't know your name, but I know that you're the Al Ghul boy who wanted to play like a bird, it's all in your mind..." - she made a signal with her fingers on her head.- "But I'll tell you something even better... I'm not afraid of you, Al Ghul... I'm not afraid of a cute boy with daddy issues who now wants to play the bad boy and intimidate me just because he thinks he's a powerful man while playing with his knife...” 

\- "You should be afraid... It's not just me that's behind you... Others will come... Witch...” - He spat the last word out as if it were an insult, making her laugh again. 

\- “I don't care. Honestly, I don’t give a fuck about it... I'm half-demon and I just want to have some fun in my mom's world... Am I committing a crime for doing this? I end it all in a snap, that's all my dad wants... I just want to have some fun before this happens... I still don’t understand why it bothers you and your stupid family...” - she tilted her head at him, eyes trailing down his body and then fixing on the emerald eyes that Damian had. 

\- "I don't care what you do... I have a mission and I will fulfill it..."

\- "Boring..." - She rolled her eyes. - "I always wondered who was the crazy one who was trying to kill me and now that I've met the man who's so desperate to end my fun I'm thinking about it, you know what? I was already getting bored of having to send your puppies to some dimension or to hell, at first it was fun but now it just got boring... - she had such a bored look that he could swear that at any moment she would yawn - Always the same attacks, always the same boring game.. But you..” - Her eyes flashed a dangerous reddish again, as if she had found the best toy in the park. Damian was a delightful puzzle that she WANTED to play – “You're definitely a much more interesting and fun toy...” 

\- "I'm.not.your.toy..." - He said in a low, serious tone, looking at the girl who felt even more challenged by the intense emerald green eyes of Damian. She smiled as she studied him again completely before putting the lollipop back in her mouth.

\- "Oh... You are..." - She laughed - "You will see that you are... All of you human beings are my toys... But I like to play only with some that are interesting... So this is my deal: Stay a little, relax, drink something, listen to a music, flirt with someone... Have one or two free nights as someone your own age... Try to have some fun... if after that, after you experience the fun side of life, you still want to end my fun, if after that you don't change your mind, I'll fight you and you have the chance to do whatever you want to do with me... But if I change your mind, you'll be my favorite toy..." - She slid her finger in his arm - "Deal?"

\- "Do you want me to deal with a demon?" - He was the one laughing now.

\- "Are you scared, baby boy? You kill people without thinking twice, but are you afraid to make a deal with a demon?" - He almost wanted to laugh. He was just in that town because of a fucking deal with a demon

\- "In your dreams, witch..." 

Damian thought for a second, it was his chance, she could use her powers, but it wouldn't work with him... He on the other hand would fight against her and she had no chance against a life training he had.

He really counted on that.

\- "Fine... We have an deal..." 

The witch girl opened a huge smile, her eyes sparkling magenta with excitement... She held out her hand to him with a smile, as if she had been closing a great deal with the world's best whiskey seller.

\- "Gooooood! Al Ghul, we have a deal now... You want to know something? I'm glad that you decided to accept... It would be a shame send you to hell without being able to play with someone like you..." - She bit her lip. - "But... I mean I go into deals to win... I will not make it easy for a little boy like you..."

She licked her lips and kissed the corner of his lip, making him more tense and with a laugh, she stood up again and walked back to the bar disappearing into a door, leaving Damian stunned. 

She wasn't just a demon... She was an entire hell...


	4. Chapter 4

Damian didn't have many options, she was much more dangerous than he imagined and surely wouldn't have any chance to make his plan to get her unconscious until the meeting point with Trigon worked out... 

Now he felt like an idiot for to think that this would work... He needed a plan B and needed to analyze the situation with his head and he was sure that if he left, she would disappear like in other times. He took a deep breath analyzing the men who hadn't left the bar since he came in. 

Had she controlled them using lust like she had tried to do with him? Or was there something else? He would need to find out before taking the next step. 

Something in her eyes told him that it was better for him to follow her advice, he had the confidence that in a possible fight, she would have no chance against him, one thing was fight with league soldiers who didn't know how dangerous she was, another thing was fight with him... He had been trained all his life while she was a little princess from another dimension... What chance would she have without her powers? 

And she had promised him a fight if he "relaxed", he understood this as _"stay here and maybe after my expedient, we can sort this out"_ so, without much thought, he went to the bar and asked for a wiskey, he didn't like this type of drink, alcohol makes you lose your control and act without thinking. But he didn't have much to do there and not much choice of better drinks.

A little later, the girl came back from from the door and looked at him from afar, satisfied that he had a glass in his hand, he was bored turning the glass with the golden liquid in his hand, looking at the stage that was empty until then. 

So with one last sip, he finished the drink, feeling the effects of the alcohol burning in his throat. He hated the taste of it and would wash his mouth as often as necessary. He looked from time to time at the girl who was now preparing some drink while talking animatedly to her _"friend"_. Maybe she decided to leave him alone when she saw him with a drink.

But of course he thanked her for it really early...

And of course she decided to take his peace away from him

It wasn't long before the girl came back to him again, now with two glasses with that black liquid again in her hand.

\- "I see you have followed my advice and relaxed..." - She spoke up standing in front of him smiling devilishly and then, she handed him one of the glasses and without any warning, sat on his lap. Damian stared at her almost with his mouth open, not believing she was doing it. As if that were not enough, she only pretended to be annoyed and began to make nothing innocent moves on his lap as if trying to find a better place to sit. 

Damian was beginning to believe that making a deal with a demon as she was an really really bad idea... She would play with him masking her real intentions with actions like these innocent things and he couldn't say or do anything, or give no reason he didn't want her thought she was already winning...

Although Damian wasn't sure if she wasn't actually winning

Now he knew that her innocence was a mask, like a venomous snake camouflaging itself to attack on her prey... She wore the innocence she seemed to have to use as a weapon, and it was lethal to men, it was the only certainty what he had in that moment... 

Damian had met only two women who did this: 

One was his mother and the other was now married to his father. 

_Talia_ and _Selina_... 

The two loves of Bruce Wayne... 

The two women who used their best weapons to overthrow the world's greatest detective and also his father more than once: the sensuality and sculptural body they had at their favor.

But he wasn't Bruce Wayne... He would have control of the situation...

He took a deep breath and she smiled, looking at the glass he still held in his hand, intact and then drinking the contents of her glass in one go. - "Ugh! that's what I call hell..." - she grimaced and then looked at him - "Your turn..."

\- "I don't need... I already had whiskey..."

\- "Oooh Come on, drink it!... It's not poisoned...!" - she made a pout - Are you going to let a woman toast alone??"

\- "I told you, witch... I'm not going to fall for your trick ..." - he said seriously, looking at her - "You can try to manipulate me like you did with these men, but you will not..." - She grimaced bored, and moved closer, her face getting inches away from him.

\- "I just told you to drink some liquor... It's Jagermeister... You can google it and check..." - she still looks at him - "Drink... _Now_..." - she ordered serious, and he ended up drinking, hating the taste even more than the taste of the wisky. He looked at her doing his best to pretend he was accustomed to taste.

\- "You first want to get me drunk and now sit on my lap and tease me... I'll tell you something, witch girl... I've been trained for this kind of situation my whole life, you're not going to get anything more than make me angry" - She looked at him and yawned. 

Damian almost can't believe she did this.

Did she really yawn while he was talking?

\- "Have you finished your boring speech about your boring obligations?" - she breathed deeply - "First of all, I don't know what you're talking about, we're partners right? You're the demon's-something-boring and I am the daughter of the demon... From another dimension, but hell is the same. I see no problem sitting on the lap and drink a little with a business partner like you... And second, you're still tense and looking like a grumpy old man, Mr. Al Ghul... Try to forget your training a little and have fun as a guy in our age... And honestly, from demon to killer, you know I always get what I want..." - she smiled like a child on Christmas morning .

\- "Do you really think I'm going to fall for your taunts? just because you do it to other men, do you think you'll be able to do this to me ?? Don't be dumb, Witch..." - he could almost laugh, but he decided it wasn't the time, not when her eyes glittered like two Garnet jewels... a red so intense it could be a gem like the one she carried around her neck and that he was only noticed now.

\- "Oh... Are you still in your bubble of male superiority, birdie...?" - She bit her lip. - "You're human, you're going to fall... I warned you that I don't play to lose ..." - Her fingertips danced in his chest almost touching again - "Your body and your so precious training will betray an hour or another... I just need to wait..." - She opened that smile again, a smile he strangely liked 

\- "Do you really think my training will fail? Girl, you don't know me... I've been through much more difficult situations than a girl sit on my lap... Pathetic"

\- "Boring..." - "She grunted - "You think you're super special, don't you?" she laughed, her face ever closer to his. - "The super-hot Al Ghul heir, who likes to play superhero in Gotham City... The wonder boy's nickname fits you perfectly..."

\- "I told you not to call me that... Witch..."

\- "And you know I'm not a witch, and yet ... Here you are still calling me that...You know what, Al Ghul... Though I find really cute how you call me a _"witch"_, and how you put all your anger and desire into words" - She was near him again, Damian noticed that without realizing it, his breath dribbled, his heart leapt a little and he began to feel hot again - "I'd rather you call me a demon, or a sin... You know..." - She was so close to him that he could feel his control running down his hands, his mother's voice talking about how women could be a weapon of seduction getting erased from his mind. 

He could smell the vanilla perfume that came from her, he could smell the lavender perfume she had in her hair. Her lipstick was magenta, not dark red like he had imagined, and the bangs was V-shaped on her forehead highlighting the shape of her eyebrow... Damian could see every detail of her like if she had gained a super vision

And she was unfortunately right, his body and training were betraying him... He just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

She tilted her head to the side to reach his neck, the scent of lavender that had come from her making a big mess in his mind. 

-"Demons and sins suits me better than witch..." - she whispered, giving a slight bite of his ear, causing a strange noise to come out of his throat.

Damian was losing, he could feel it, he was losing so badly he didn't know what to do. His mind was a mess, his body was on fire, and her breath against his neck and the scent of vanilla and lavender coming from her made his brain look like it was melting. 

He had never felt so helpless and so lost. Not with Emiko or any other woman... Not even with his mother.

Was it her powers messing with his mind? He wasn't 100% sure but could put almost all his bets on it. She had said it and suddenly everything had changed in him, as if she had convinced his brain that she was completely right and his stupid brain left the care of his being to the heart... He could no longer think of a plan of escape or contingency of what could happen, he could only hope that she didn't notice that she had success.

She was definitely winning the battle...

He doubted he could form a correct line of thought with her breath on his neck while she gave little kisses on the tip of his ear, his neck and his jaw.

He didn't even know why in hell he didn't push her off his lap in the first place.

Damian could only think of trying those lips and messing her hair and bringing her to him. He was beginning to forget what he really was doing at that bar, at first. The only thing that came into his mind was that damn voice telling him _"kiss this girl"_

She looked at him with the same devilish smile on her face, licking her lips with her tongue making his head overload. That simple set of actions made him kick everything up. The rest of the control had left his body a long time and she was so close to him that he could swear he could smell the toothpaste she uses and cheap drinks and vanilla.

He didn't know why or how, but he couldn't wait any longer....

In one swift movement, he pulled her lips effortlessly closer to his. She smiled victoriously, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling the boy toward her, deepening the kiss, waging a new fight for dominance, which the demon didn't mind losing

Damian wanted to explore every inch of her lips, he wanted the time to stop so he could enjoy the taste she had when he gripped her waist tightly, his hand sliding under the shirt she wore to hold her with maximum of kindness he could and knew how to do. 

This had been one of the reasons why his not-too-long-term relationships hadn't worked... Damian wasn't a really affectionate guy...

And there he was trying to be a affectionate guy...

The demon on the other hand was a hurricane but also the post-storm calm... She was affectionate, her lips were soft and sweet, her hands running down his hair and neck, causing little shivers where her cold fingers touched. She ran her hands around his neck to his hair, then to his jaw, cupping his face.

Damian felt as if everything was fire... He could swear for a moment that he was in hell. His mind was sure she had sent him to hell.

For those who saw them, would know that bodies and souls collided in that kiss. But their pride and the desire to dominate was bigger than that. And everybody knows the universe works in mysterious way...

In a short time, they were out of breath and had to break the kiss reluctantly not without first giving a slight bite on his lip. Damian had a strange sensation in his chest, and an uncontrollable desire to kiss her again that he almost forgot what he was first doing in that bar. Her unbridled breath made his brain turn upside down.

When she opened her eyes again, a blood red tone, rubi gems, was in place of that were before with colored garnet stones in her eyes. 

She still splashed butterfly kisses on his neck sliding her fingertips over the buttons of his shirt. Damian was really lost that his greatest effort was to control the weird noise that came up in his throat. 

Damian could stop his heart and pretend to be dead, knew how to do complex surgeries, knew how to cut someone in more than 18 different ways. But here he was, defeated by a girl. He felt like the most stupid and ridiculous mortal in the world.

He could only think of how to take her away with him. He needed to kiss her more often that night.

But the girl didn't like easy things, so before he pulled her into another kiss, she got up from his lap with a big smile of victory on her face.

Reality came hitting him with the same speed as his arms lost the warmth of her body, she was playing with him all this time.. Strangely he was frustrated because she had moved away from him and not because she had proved that she was right.

\- "Uhnn... Looks like the little birdie doesn't have as much control as he says..." - she said with a laugh. - "I told you that your training would fail..."

Fuck, she got it.

\- "That will not happen again, don't think for a second that I want you" - He said, trying to pull himself together again.

\- "Oh... You will ask for more... I know you will..." - she said smiling as she wiped the lipstick on his lips. 

\- "You say as if you foresee the future... Don't be stupid, you just got me off guard... It will not happen again."

\- "Of course... - She said laughing - "You will come back for more, I know... Let's just say... Your friend in your pants made it clear to me that you're coming back for more, _boy wonder."_ \- She let her eyes run over his body and then smiled again. 

Fuck 2.0, she got it and noticed.

\- "Boss!" - A man behind the stage called her.

\- "Ops... Boring obligations calling... Will we talk more later to agree on our deal? Good..." - She waved her fingers and went to the man who had called her, leaving Damian alone, his face dirty with lipstick, a glass of empty alcohol in his hand and a mess he didn't even know where to start wiping from his mind

Mentally, Damian waged a battle between what he felt right and wrong about what had happened. Part of him rebuked him for having been carried away by the desires of his body and almost forgotten what he had gone to do in that place. 

He blamed the alcohol too... And her powers catching him off guard.

His body reacted badly to that woman and she knew how to explore it from him, tear every drop of his sanity with sensuality and almost make him lose focus. 

Again he blame the alcohol too... 

He wasn't accustomed to drinking alcohol and she had given him that strange drink she brought with her. 

He needed to get out of that bar before she came back and end with the 5% of peace that he still had inside him...

But the other party saw the situation not as completely lost, even though now he would have to deal with the "problem" left by her in him, he had found her weakness, she trusted blindly in her powers of persuasion and her seduction... She certainly didn't physically fight with him, and he would make her do just the opposite... Now he could use her own weapon against herself and that would be interesting.

Damian smiled contentedly for the first time that night. A good-executed plan formed in his mind as he searched for a pen at the bar to leave a note for his new prey and then left the place. 

_"I will come back..." _


	5. Chapter 5

Damian decided to walk the way back to the hotel. That girl had messed with his head in a way that no woman had ever messed. She broke the walls of his control with no effort and almost made him one of the men she kept surrounding her. He needed to refresh his mind and put his thoughts in order again.

He needed to detoxify himself from her effects on him. Walking and maybe punching some idiot who dared to cross his path might be able to help... And he count that some-stupid-enough guy tried to do something with him, it was all he needed now was to discount his anger at someone...

_"Or you could have followed her advice and just have taken her somewhere..."_ the same irritating voice spoke in his head.

What the fuck was going on with his head? Damian was really thinking he'd made two bad decisions: come to Gotham and make a stupid deal with the girl.

\- "Well... Well, look who's in town, if he's not my little brother..." - Damian paused, regretting bitterly that he had decided to walk back to the hotel. If there was anyone Damian didn't want to see beyond his father, it was some of his idiot brothers... Idiots, say mostly Jason Todd. - "Walking in the dangerous side of the city at this time, little D? That way you're going to kill the poor old bat with a heartbreak..."

Todd was in his civilian clothes, his old leather jacket, a black shirt and faded jeans. For him to be walking around like this, Damian was sure that he was drunk (98% probability) or was in some undercover job (2% probability) or both (100% probability).

\- "Shut up Todd, it's none of your business where I walk or not... I'm on a mission to the League of Assassins, that would be the only reason I go back to this place..."

\- "And your mission by chance involves alcohol, criminals, and a pretty witch girl?" - Todd now walked quietly on Damian's side now, the guns stored somewhere in his belt hidden by his shirt and jacket. - "Not that I'm against you having a little fun with some girls in your age, but that's not much of your character..."

\- "HA... HA... HA... Todd, I already told you: shut up... No, it doesn't involve any of that... I mean, it involves the girl, but not in the dirty way that you are accustomed... She is a fugitive from her father and I need her for my business with the League of Assassins... And no, I don't need your help, I can take care of everything myself."

\- "I see you really can..." - He laughed, showing the lipstick marks the woman had left on his neck. - "What do you want with her?"

\- "I told you it's none of your business, and I have everything under control .." - Damian was getting impatient with his adopted brother's meddling. If Todd continued, he wouldn't hesitate to send him back to hell.

\- "From the amount of lipstick on your neck and judging by your walking back, you really have everything under control..." - He laughed as he felt Damian pick him up by his shirt.

\- "Don't mess with me, Todd..."

\- "Hey, easy little shit... I'm just saying that I know what she's capable of..."

\- "Do you know her?" - It was obvious that Jason stupid Todd knew her... Damian was surprised that he had not thought of it at first.

\- "OF COURSE I KNOW THAT PRETTY PAIR OF LEGS AND SPECTACULAR CURVES!!"

\- "What do you know about her?"

\- "Do you think I'll give you the information easy like that? No, you little shit, you're not going to get it that way."

\- "Okay, I don't need you... I'll do it myself... You can go back to hell from where you came and if you tell someone that you saw me in the city I'll search for you and cut you in 18 different ways."

\- "Oh you're still a pain in the ass... You've gained some height but you're still the same little shit you were eight years ago"- Jason shifted his feet. 

\- "Test me one more time and I'll show you what I gained over and above height" - Jason laughed and pulled Damian into a brotherly embrace that he didn't even believe while they were walking again... Damian hated hugs and Jason loved to annoy the little demon with anything he hated

\- "Okay, I think I can tell you something but you're going to owe me one... And I'm going to charge you... - Todd had that giant smile as if he expected Damian to say _"please"_ \- "You're lucky to have met with me, not Dick or Alfred... Probably they would slap you for not say the magic word... Your luck, little shit, I don't give a fuck for magic words..."

\- As if I care... And you're just like Grayson... Creeping for women and all the stupid things that Grayson does" - Jason laughed. 

\- "If you say... So... She is pretty, smart, can make a really good drinks... There is that body that makes any man lose his head, I'd probably lose my head for her and you too, you know..... I think those horns she uses are a cute... Oh you didn't see her dressed in red, really, is a beautiful sight... almost a renaissance painting, you ask to go to hell when she appears dressed in red with those horns coming out of her hair..."

\- "Get to the point, Todd... What do you know of important about her? Stop melting for a Woman... And you should stop talking like that about a woman, it's derogatory."

\- "awn the little shit is jealous of the girl who gave him an erection? Cute..."

\- "Are you going to say something important or not, Todd?" - Jason burst out laughing and stopped walking and leaning on his knees as he laughed.

\- "What?"

\- "You didn't deny that she gave you an erection..." 

\- "Oh fuck you Todd..."

\- "She teased you and you couldn't hold on your pants! She really messed with you... You want to fuck her... But you're in denial!"

\- "Stop talking about her like that!" - Damian nearly screamed in the middle of the street.

\- "No freakin' Damian..." - Jason was trying to control his laughter, but then again and again he started to laugh. - "I'm just telling the truth... It's normal to be attracted to a nice pair of legs... You are a man... I'm pretty sure you had this "conversation" with Bruce when you dated that girl, Emiko, right?"

\- "This talk will not get us anywhere, I'm leaving..."

\- "Okay, fine... I'll tell you what I know from what old Bat said at the last family reunion ... I didn't hear much, you know I always drink to survive them... And I'm not welcome in the manor so, I don't know much about...." - Damian nodded, he knew how Bruce was with the kids who weren't the perfect first Robin, Dick Grayson.

\- "So father is already keeping an eye on this?"

\- "But of course, it's his city... No one is far from the eyes of the dark knight" - He laughed trying to make the voice imitate Bruce with that change of voice that Damian always found ridiculous.

\- "So tell me what you know about the girl."

\- "Hey, calm down... I'll tell you about your new crush..." - Jason laughed when Damian just rolled his eyes. - "That girl is a hell... She is the whole hell with all the punishments and fire you imagine...! Seriously, she must have some weird magic from the gods... Or devil... Justice league is already informed and interested in her... Batman is watching it here, it seems that Wonder Woman already thinks it might be some gift from Aphrodite, I don't know, these things from the Amazons and their gods... No one knows for sure how, but she lured the men to that place like a snake... She seduces them but doesn't sleep with these guys... Does she have some cases, but these guys? Don't go to her house... Actually, no man goes... She has a code of 'no home'..."

\- "Todd... Spare me the details of her sex life, that's not interesting..."

\- "Okay hurried... So... Those guys who do what she wants without even thinking always stay in the bar and then magically disappear... It seems she keeps them there doing her orders for a while... Most of them have a pass in the police for harassment or sexual abuse... And female aggression, these things...... You know how Gotham police are..." - Damian looked away making a mental note of all that Todd was talking, despite the lack of brain, Todd wasn't as dumb as he imagined - "I think she's only using what she knows to do justice... But for the League, she can be dangerous..."

\- "Of course the League thinks this, because she really is dangerous... I know her father, I know exactly what he can do."

\- "Damian, why can't you pick an easier woman??? What exactly do you want with this girl? Beware of the kind of woman you're approaching, Damian... I don't think that Talia and Ra's would love to see you as a witch girl's dog..."

\- "She's not a witch... She's a demon."

\- "Fuck it... woman, demon, witch... Doesn't matter... Why does it have to be her?"

\- "First, there is no other Ra's, I'm the new Ra's, for your information... And second, stop idiots Todd, I have to take her, that's it... It's a mission, I already said... I'm not here just having fun with a girl with femme-fatale syndrome..." - Damian started walking again, leaving Todd a few steps behind, but it wasn't long before he caught up with him again.

\- "Look, I know you and Bruce have had your disagreements and you're now this guy who has a murderous empire and those things, but... Although I find you a pain in ass and we haven't had much time together like you I had it with Dick and Tim and I wasn't around when Bruce kicked you out and I couldn't stop you from going back to your mother's and grandfather's madness, but I'm not going to let you get caught up in this alone..." - they stopped walking again.

\- "Todd, spare me the sentimentality too... You're not like this..."

\- "So you hurt my feelings, demon spawn..."

\- "Like if I cared, Robin-easy-to-kill..."

\- "You care... If you didn't, you were already gone..." - Todd was right, Damian couldn't deny it. Of all his adoptive siblings, Todd was what he looked like. - "Besides, I wouldn't deny I could ever have a little fun in that place while I work... I have business to deal with those bastards who go there... You can't say no to my help, little D, I know those streets from Gotham, I know what she's been capable of since she showed up in this town... " - Jason said with a winning smile, making Damian just snort. He took a deep breath to analyze the proposal, he was short on time and stupidly sent his men away thinking that he would handle everything in one night... Now thanks to that girl, he was going to have to accept Todd's help so that he might be able to accelerate the process and leave Gotham to never come back.

\- Okay, fine! but I have conditions... One, no family at all, I don't want any "ex-robin-idiots" involved in this thing anymore. 

\- "Okay... No more batboys"

\- "Two, you're going to follow my plan, or else I'll make a point of cutting your head out of your body and sending you to hell with no back ticket." 

\- "Oh I'm really scared, demon spawn... Fine, follow the plan"

\- "And three, the girl is mine... I'm the one who should fight with her if be need... I don't want this to turn Justice League matter..."

\- "Oh... If you can hold on to your pants again... When you see her..." - Todd pointed to Damian's pants, which took half a second to figure out what he had insinuated.

\- "Don't test my patience, Todd..." - He meant it, showing the handle of his small but sharp knife that was still in the pocket of his jacket. - "I accepted your help, doesn't mean we have intimacy for you to play your stupid jokes." - Jason just raised his hands in surrender again, not that he was afraid of the little demon, Damian was easy to knock for him, but because he didn't want to miss the opportunity to annoy Bruce after Damian had left or fallen into the girl's clutches, saying that he had seen Damian and not only seen how he had also helped his son get involved with a damn pretty demon.

Surely Bruce would have a heart attack.

If Bruce hadn't, nothing else would kill the old Batman.

\- "Come on, the rooftops of Gotham are better than these streets." - He pulled the boy by the jacket like a spoiled child to a ladder leading to the roof of one of the residential buildings. They climbed up as fast as they could - "Here... Do you still know how to use it? I can teach you if you have forgotten" - he delivered to him one of the infamous strings that everyone from batfamily used some day in his life. Damian just smirked.

\- "You underestimate me, Todd..." - and without warning, the former Robin fired at the rooftops of the old town, leaving Todd behind.

Damian and Todd jumped from roof to roof for a while, Damian felt a pang of nostalgia in his chest, from when he was still a boy trying to do what was right in that city following in his father's footsteps, but soon he pushed the thought away from his head remembering when Bruce kicked him out of the family because he killed the Black Mask. He would never do that again, he would make his own laws far away, without his father's damn code and without this troubled family.

The deaths of the people in the restaurant still echoed in his head almost every night... He felt no regret.... His father's code didn't work... 

Not for him.

Damian took a deep breath, trying to forget all that.

Shortly after, the two stopped (ironically) from the tower of the Wayne Enterprise, the cold wind beating their hair and carrying the bad thoughts with him. They just sat in silence for a while until Damian decided to speak. That kiss and the audacity of the girl hammered him.

\- "Have you ever been with her?" - He looked in the direction from which they had come, the bar was far from his visions now, but he would know full well how to get there blindfolded now. He didn't know how, but he was sure. - "Have you slept with her?"

\- "With whom? Raven?" - Damian looked at him. It was the first time he'd heard her name, all this time, he noticed he didn't know the girl's name. He had kissed her and didn't know her name - "I thought you weren't interested in her sexual life, Damian..."

\- "Oh shut up..." - Damian punched Todd's arm, causing him to laugh, Damian hadn't put all of his strength in the punch. It wasn't really common for him to do that, but Jason was grateful... If he'd put up his strength, he was probably a pancake on the floor right now.

He had to remind himself that he was on top of one of Gotham's tallest buildings, distracting himself by annoying Damian there wouldn't be a good way to die.

\- "Answering your curiosity, Unfortunately the answer is no... I already talked to her, she's a good girl when she's not all sinister with those red eyes.... I've seen her in the bar talking to some guys when I investigated the disappearance of some guys from the street, I've seen her go out with a lot of guys... She's a piece of woman, honestly... But I think she's too young for me, she has that body but she still looks like a teenager! She must be Cassandra's age, that's weird... And I'm not that kind of guy you think I am, Damian... I also have a code regarding the women I'm involved with..." - He made one clapped his hands together like an angel.

\- "Bullshit... I know you very well, Todd... That would be no problem for you... She is an adult, you wouldn't have problems with the law... There is something that stop you and it is certainly not her age."

\- "You judge me really badly, demon spaw" - Damian could almost swear that Jason was (pretending to be) upset and then he shrugged. - "If she was five years older, I would no doubt be one of her puppies but I'm not fan of demons who look like teenagers, I prefer women who kick my ass." - Damian just nodded slowly. Pondering on what he heard (and ignoring the rest).

\- "How did she get here, does father have any information about?" - Todd shook his head in denial.

\- "Not too much... She came from Los Angeles apparently, has some kind of rich friend there, arrived shortly, about 4 or 5 months... Alone, with a lot of money in her pocket, enough to buy the bar and an apartment not far from here... Approximately 22 or 23 years, no past or family here... Never a fixed boyfriend, only some cases of two weeks or even less... And this thing of having a way to bewitch men to do what she wants."

\- "Is it her bar? I thought she just worked there..." - Damian was intrigued, how had she gotten the money to open this bar and why in Gotham's rottenest city when she could have opened it in a place where the rich frequented? This girl was a mystery he couldn't solve.

He vaguely now remembered the man calling her "boss" shortly after they kissed... He should have noticed if his head wasn't in orbit.

He would have noticed that she owned the bar if her brain hadn't melted and he wasn't thinking with his carnal desires.

Damian cursed himself in Arabic for being so naive to take her advice and to have accepted the deal and everything that came after.

\- "She really did play with you, didn't she?" I've never seen you so focused on a woman like now... Not even when you had that project of dating with Queen..."

\- "She didn't mess with me Todd I already told you! She can try to use her game with me but it will not work, not with my mind... For God's sake, I'm an Al Ghul! Carnal desires are a distraction that I learned to ignore and control from an early age..."

\- "Jesus christ, that must be why Emiko kicked your ass so fast and changed you to the West... They're still together today, you know that? You're colder than the polar cap with this self-control chatter..."

\- "Oh, shut up Todd! Nobody kicked anyone's butt, we agreed that our relationship was a problem for the team... A distraction..." - Damian rolled his eyes, not wanting to talk about his relationship with Emiko Queen when he was still Robin. - "And that's not the point, the point is, I'm not like you, Drake and Grayson who can't hold on to your pants when you see a woman showing off her legs... I was trained to control and use this in my favor, that's what matters..."

\- "But do you think you can control it? Damian, she's a D E M O N... A sin with beautiful body curves... If she wants, she'll mess up with your head with no problem at all with a snap of her fingers... You may be the shit you want, but you're human and she's a demon... One way or another your need will scream and she'll be there with those red eyes of hers looking at you like her new carousel. Because is that what women do..." - Damian did not answer - "You know what I'm talking about... You were her victim today..." - He knew Todd was right because she had said exactly the same to him... And he had almost lost control that first night when she kissed him. 

He needed to focus on his mission and not drink anything else that woman gave him, he knew that the blame for his impulses had been on the drinks he had drunk and whatever the hell she used to convince his head to everything happened later...

\- "What's her name again?" - Damian looked at Jason who just laughed.

\- "Raven... Her name is Raven..."

\- "Raven..." - Damian repeated to himself, looking forward.

\- "It's a beautiful bird, isn't it? That punk girl attitude is to make any Christian lose his head..."

Damian didn't respond, he didn't need to remember her in his arms to rewire each of his nerves. In fact, he tried to forget that.

\- "Thanks for the info Todd, I'll keep you informed on my plan and how meet me to discuss strategy..." - And without looking at his older brother's reaction. Damian threw himself using the last rope to land the nearest from the ground and proceed to the hotel.

\- "Try not to wet the bed today, little shit." - He heard Todd yell at him.

In the end, he didn't need to punch anyone's face that night, but he wasn't sure he had taken the effect of, now known as Raven, from his system. She was like a drug and he was doing his best not to get addicted.

It didn't take much to lose his sleep that night, Raven flashes in his arms passed in his head like a movie every time he closed his eyes. His mind was a mess, and he didn't know how to make him forget that sensation and be able to focus on dragging Raven back to hell.

He knew he was in trouble now.


	6. Chapter 6

After a night full of surprises at the bar, Raven decided she deserved a good night's rest in her own apartment, it was one of the few times she left alone, but sometimes she missed the peace that her apartment provided. Her head was full of doubts and her bathtub looked so nice at the moment she stood there reflecting on the boy Al Ghul who had messed with her emotions like that.

After allowing herself to relax in the bathtub thinking about what he might want with her and analyze the whole situation, Raven had to admit that it was the first time she wasn't sure what to do. Part of her wanted to find out who he was but also, had the self-esteem, she wanted to kill him before he did anything to her. And she didn't know what to do. Raven was confused and she knew well why. Because he had exactly what her weakness was..

Like the good demon she was, her desires and wishes stood out in her defense. Raven especially felt very attracted to troublesome men... They were what she liked most to have. It's that wicked-eyed, dangerous-looking boy was exactly what she wanted.

He was an interesting bastard and had those penetrating and intriguing greens eyes, not counting the cinnamon skin, the sculptural body, strong hands, those big soft lips with fresh mint taste and that bad-boy or evil narcisist playboy attitude. 

Bad boys were her weakness and her kryptonite and her favorite thing in the world. She couldn't help but feel attracted.

There was something else about him that intrigued her and left her with bound hands and she couldn't tell if it was the closed mind he had or how sexy he was trying to look cold, or if it was only her ego hurt because he denied her something.

Or whether it was the complete package of her hurt ego, the sexy bad boy and his closed mind.... She could bet almost all of her chips in the complete package.

No human had denied her anything since she decided to follow the example of an old acquaintance, quit hell, open a bar in the dirtiest city and play with the emotions of the people around her.... Everyone had given her what she wanted, except the Al Ghul boy. 

Raven could get into the head of any human with just a touch, she just need touched the hand and so, be able to make a connection, explore their minds, feelings and sensations, see with their eyes and feel what they felt. But he was unusual for her, and even she trying her best to find out why did he want to kill her, his mind was full of walls she couldn't get through. 

He had a mind control she had never seen in a human and so she was frustrated that she didn't achieve much while using her sensuality to touch him and enter his mind.

She got shallow information about him, some old memories, problems he refused to settle, and a feeling that he carried the weight of the world on his back, masquerading with the arrogance of the Al Ghul. But nothing that explained why in hell he wanted so badly to find her. 

That boy was a delightful box of surprises that she was eager to discover what was inside... Even if she had to rip the whole beautiful wrapping. He was interesting, looked like a complicated puzzle that had messed with her emotions and with her pride. He was different from the other men she had manipulated, unlike other men she'd been involved with in those few months, different even from the men he had sent for her and whom she happily manipulated and sent the souls as gifts to her brothers in hell... (She really hoped they were enjoying the punishments. Her demonic side really liked that). 

And she could smell death, blood, and trouble a few feet away from him. Sexy, mysterious, beautiful, with a hot body, intelligent and a killer. Raven could see the neon sign written DANGER on him. And she liked it a lot. She could imagine what he could do with those calloused hands.

Calloused hands that told her that he trains a lot... And training a lot says, murder a lot... It was impossible not to be attracted in every way by a man like him.

Most of the time, she tried to have fun using a little of her both sides, but of course her evil side always had more fun than her human side...... She didn't mind in being all the 7 deadly sins that she and her siblings were... She was a free woman who was just enjoying herself (and trying to please her confused interior where her two beings, the human and the demonic, lived).

But since she saw the boy Al Ghul, her human and her demonic side seemed to have resolved that he was good for both of them. And they just screamed at her for more of him. More touches, more kisses, more grips... More of him in her skin...

A fucking drug she got intoxicated and needed more doses... She doesn't mind an overdose of him, she would probably get tired of him soon after she got what she wanted...

Thinking of his hands, and eyes, and cinnamon skin and kiss reminded her about him, and again her body lit up like a Christmas tree. Every cell in her body lit up and she could feel the lust go through every nerve.

And again she head a lot of voices that she needed to stop. She closed her eyes to try to focus on the conversation and make those two sluts shut up.

With a little more concentration she silenced the voices and her mind making them just a buzzing in the background as she let the water relax her body.  
After noticing that she was long enough in the tub and that the water was already icy, she decided to get dressed to try to sleep, which she doubted she would do. 

Her head was buzzing with both sides screaming for control and for not being able to stop thinking about the boy she knew no more than the last name and that had eyes so green that she thought if he was not like her. She needed a way to get to know him, to get inside his head, she needed it so that her two sides, human and demonic, gave her peace. She was going to go crazy if her sides started a war for control.

All she didn't needed now was a headache thanks to an idiot boy who had greatness syndrome.

An interesting and hot idiot boy who had greatness syndrome.

And at the same time that Raven was attracted to him, she wanted to kill the Al Ghul boy. Again the doubt was there...

The challenge he was woke up the snake she could be and she wouldn't stop now... She would have him in the palm of her delicate hands no matter what it cost.

And she could be A hell, that was one of the things that man didn't know about her, he made it clear when he saw her... He waited for a little girl and found a woman who saw him as equal... Raven had been this frightened and helpless little girl one day, when she was still a child, when her father dragged her to hell after she accidentally summoned him...

She was now an independent woman and wouldn't give herself so easily because a boy told her she should go. She didn't do everything she did in that last 8 months on earth for any human to tell her what to do.

Raven wasn't a scared little girl. Never more.

He had the misfortune to find her now that she was a powerful woman, mistress of herself, fearless and practically a sin with legs, as she liked to call herself. A vacation of years in hell and a few days in Los Angeles did it to her and now she knew what she was capable of. And it wouldn't be a bastard stupid and arrogant that would make her afraid or frustrated. She knew he had weaknesses, she just needed to explore it and then, she would break him like everyone else.

And if she didn't break, she would kill him anyway. She was already tired of these Al Ghul warriors looking for her and she had the slight sensation that this had been with her father. Killing their leader would be a good message for anyone coming to try to end her fun.

_"But I can play with him first.... oh sure I can"_

It would be a mortal sin not to prove a human like him. The slightest reminder made her whole body shiver. 

She remembered that she was already beginning to suspect that maybe he was gay, she was doing her best, seduced him in every possible way and achieved nothing but a restlessness on the sofa. Other men in his place had given way for much less. Other men had fallen into her hands at the slightest snap of his fingers.

_"But he's not like other men, Al Ghul is certainly different. A fine specimen of human..."_

She smiled remembering how he kissed her that night, how he gave in to the desires and lust he controlled for the whole time she played with him. Raven strangely remembered the smell of fresh mint, hair gel and cinnamon she felt coming from him. And the taste of cheap drink and vanilla he had. And how her whole body shivered as his warm hands found the cool skin around her waist. Or how satisfying it was to hear the noise he tried to stifle in his throat... And how that noise hit every cell of her. Like for an instant, she could feel her skin melting in his hands. She remembered all this, all these details and she could very well recognize them from a distance and blindfolded.

Raven was laughing like crazy, the flashes of her conversation with him were quickly coming into her mind, she needed to find out where his control had broken, she didn't remember using her persuasion, but it could be a convincing theory. She could have used it without realizing it. Then she could use it again if he showed up.

Maybe she stirred his emotions so much that she didn't notice that she had convinced him, he kissed her so passionately, so willingly that in a short time they needed air.

She was surprised that for the first time, she allowed herself to be carried away, giving him room to explore every inch of her mouth. Her mind held every touch, every grip of his hands on her waist. A shiver went up the back of her neck, remembering every second. It was intoxicating and now she wanted to try more again.

Those memories were fresh in her memory and she could feel the electricity running from her fingertips to her last hair. Again both sides wanted more. 

Again they started a mess in her head.

And again she wanted to kill him for the headache.

Raven took a deep breath, silencing the voices in her mind again. She would have that Al Ghul, she would have control over him as she had that night, she knew he wanted her and that her attempts hadn't been in vain, she wouldn't stop...

But she wouldn't make it easy for him, after all, what fun of a prize if you win easily? Playing with the boys was the best part of her fun... And playing with Al Ghul's imagination would surely be a great joke. She would play at that playground somehow, but first, she would play with his imagination. Make him go crazy, almost give way to madness.

That night she decided to leave him imagining something else, and it was priceless to her the frustration he tried to mask with indifference as she stood up. She hoped he had sweet dreams of what she'd left him. Little boys always dreamed in a funny way with girls.

Raven was really willing to take that bird boy to madness.

\- "Oh boy, my pretty little bird... You haven't seen anything yet..." - She laughed looking at the note he had left in the bar before disappearing. - "I'm going to break your mind in a million pieces until it's about nothing but your devotion for me... You're going to fall, Al Ghul... And then, just there, I'll send you on a journey with no return to hell. It was a terrible idea for you to try to come to my end personally and even worse, make a deal with Trigon's daughter who represents pride... I'll play in your playground and then... You will be nothing..." 

Raven smiled, putting the note in the book she was reading before leaving and decided to try to fall asleep. The games had just begun to interest her.

When she woke up, it was a nightmare. A message from the son of a bitch of her father. It had been a long time since he had tormented her but now he had appeared again, saying that she would return to him sooner or later...

Raven woke up panting and more tired than when she had gone to sleep, but couldn't get to sleep again so she got up and decided that a shower would be a great idea, she hated having these visits from her father, they always ended her mood. And she had to find someone to take all her anger away. All she needed was a dumb face enough to stumble her way that day.

Maybe she would find some new toy, a new affair until she got bored and dismissed like everyone else. She wasn't sure, but she didn't want to think about her father's stupid warning ... He was trapped in hell and couldn't come to her, right? She sincerely hoped he wouldn't come out that fast.

Raven spent the day trying to distract herself as she could, read a bit, adventured into the kitchen (failing miserably), zapped channels and finally gave up and just waited for the time to go to the bar while drinking wine alone on the balcony.

Raven always found Gotham's atmosphere a beautiful place, despite its darkness and the appearance of being always filthy. When she came to earth, Los Angeles was her first choice. She had friends there, and was scared, didn't want to be alone in a place she didn't know. But the city was clear, warm, full of life and the sun always shone on high. That in the course of the days began to irritate her.

In Los Angeles she learned to take care of herself, learned that her mother's world wasn't perfect and that humans were evil when they wanted to. She learned everything she did and was in the city of angels today, but she wasn't an angel... Of course she didn't adapt.

In time, she didn't understand how her demon friends had adapted so well to that city, so after a talk and advice (of two beings like her), Raven decided to look for a place that was like her. And in that quest, Gotham discovered.

Raven fell in love with the Gotham, the cold weather, the gray and the way the city seemed to live forever in an eternal winter. Gotham was the home Raven chose for herself. And nothing would make her leave the place... It could have her faults and insanes dresses of clowns, plants and bats, but still, it never tired of enchanting her. She always wondered why she felt so good in a city that everyone preferred to avoid and she honestly couldn't answer... Maybe it was just the aura of the place that was turned to evil or maybe people who were never too happy or cared for of their own problems instead of smiling and always looking happy as in Los Angeles.

She had made friends in her last four months in Gotham and Jason Todd was the only one she trusted more than anything. They always helped each other and always ended up drinking more than they could afterwards. Jason was a womanizer who had already visited hell and always said "you only live once," when Raven said that at one time or another he would have trouble with these women and a child, but she knew that Jason wasn't irresponsible to this point and also knew that his heart had a mistress. She just didn't know who she was... But she suspected she was the redheaded woman who had worked with him before.

But Raven respected his will and didn't ask, if he wanted to talk, she would be there to listen, because that's what friends do. And she appreciated his friendship.

Raven still stared at the city lost in her thoughts when something went through her head. For almost two weeks Todd hadn't appeared, she had heard about the death of some heroes and how it had fallen on the head of the Justice League and then her heart squeezed. Jason wasn't quite a living example of a hero, but he was a hero to her, and the thought of losing him almost made her out of control.

Raven ran over to the cell phone and researched the heroic massacre that had happened and with a sigh of relief she put the cell phone back... Jason was still a hooded shadow for the old town and was still a dead Robin. 

Todd was probably getting in trouble as usual and would soon be showing up at the bar with that huge smile on his face calling her "pretty bird".

She was already returning to her boredom and her wine on the balcony when something lit up like a light bulb in her head.

A light bulb like the sun in Los Angeles.

\- "How did you end up having two troublesome ex-Robins around you, Raven?"


	7. Chapter 7

After turning around in bed and to try to sleep without thinking about the girl (who he now knew as Raven), Damian was overcome by exhaustion and ended up falling asleep just to be awake with a nightmare with her. It wasn't quite what you might call a nightmare, but for Damian it was a nightmare as he woke up. He decided to perform his morning ritual and after a (long) bath, he ordered breakfast. His head ached from the things he had drunk and Damian couldn't feel stupid for being made of her puppet.

Damian cursed in at least 10 different languages all the hormones in his body for making him lose his mind, but he remembered that he wouldn't do it again. He would come back to that bar and wouldn't fall for her games anymore. If he was lucky, she would be distracted by trying to seduce him and so he could get some information out of her. Damian just needed to think of nothing too exciting to keep him in check. And nothing exciting meant annoying things, that was the role of Jason Todd throughout history. Damian ran to the computer and with no more than a quick search he found the phone of his not-so-best-option-to-work. 

Todd was easy to distract, he was always joking, but he was the master of taking him off seriously and just thinking about having to deal up with all Jason's joke afterwards already made him take any image of her from his head. It was a necessary evil. He sent a message to Jason and (after answering a dozen questions about how the hell he managed to find his personal number), Damian informed him where he was staying and that he had 20 minutes to show up there.

Of course, Jason took almost an hour to get just to annoy Damian, and of course Damian almost wanted to push him out the window not once.

\- "So what's the plan, spawn?"

\- "Today we're going back to the bar... I promised I'd come back and I'll keep my word... She doesn't intimidate me." - Jason arched an eyebrow as he watched the boy walk around the room with his hands behind his back (frighteningly like Bruce did).

\- "Okay..... You didn't need to give me detailed explanations of why you want to go back there, you know that, don't you?" - Damian looked at Todd.

\- "I'm not explaining anything..."

\- "So I'm crazy..." - Jason grunted. - "Hmm, what's the plan you have in mind then?"

\- "The only thing I have in mind isn't to let either of us fall for her manipulation..."

\- "I'm fine with this... I've known her long enough, you're the new flesh in hell..." - He laughed. - "That's it? You just want to go and see her again? It was easier said..."

\- "It's not _'just go there'_, stop being stupid... She's definitely going to try something, from what I saw of her yesterday, the ego is her weakness and I'm going to explore it... While she's with the wounded ego, I take advantage of the situation and try to discover something that might be useful against it."

\- "And what makes you think she's going to try something with you? From what I know of her, you're on the list, doesn't mean it's a priority... She must already have the poor bastard of this week..." - Damian felt his ego break and stopped walking, he hadn't thought of that possibility.

Andthink of that possibility made a bitter sensation rise in his throat.

\- "Doesn't matter..." - He tried to mask that bitterness with his characteristic indifference. - "She'll try something, she said we'd talk about the deal later...."

\- "Wait a minute, did you deal with a demon? A demon who has fun fading with guys? You are an idiot?"

\- "I'm just here in town because of a deal with a demon Todd, I'm not scared of a girl who thinks that because she has a bit of sexiness is a femme-fatale."

\- "You're an stupid to think you can get out of this deal alive"

\- "She just wants me to prove that I can have fun and still fulfill my obligations..." - Todd looked at Damian for a few seconds before throwing himself on the sofa laughing. - "What?"

\- "DEFINITELY YOU'RE IDIOT! YOU? HAVE FUN?"

\- "For your information, I know how to have fun... But I have obligations to fulfill..." - Damian took a deep breath - "That's not the point, the point is I'm going back to the bar tonight and you go with me, you will be mine... Backup..."

\- "Are you giving me orders? You think I'm one of your killers?"

\- "You're _'helping'_ me, so yes, I'm giving you orders and yes, you temporarily work for me."

\- "I'm going to have some beers, I'll tell you... Unable to spend a sober night watching you play in that playground that is Raven..."

\- "As long as you pay attention to your surroundings, I don't care what you do..."

\- "You didn't deny that you're going to play in that playground..." - Damian covered his face with his hands.

\- "Will it make any difference to say that I will not? You're going to continue to piss me off about it, and I sincerely hope you annoy me long enough for me to avoid losing my mind." - Todd grinned, then pulled Damian by the throat under his arm as he messed up his brother's hair.

\- "Ah, little brother, today you will learn to have fun with your big brother Todd! Nothing of Abba and sentimental things like Grayson makes or caffeine like Tim's idiot... Today my little brother, you will learn to drink like a real man and have fun with women..."

\- "Todd, stop..." - Damian came out of Jason's grip - "Let's not have fun, have you gone crazy? We go together, but she can't know that we know each other..."

\- "Oh shit, there are two things you need to learn: first: you do not go out with Jason Peter Todd without having fun or dying with a bullet in the middle of the forehead and second: Do you think she's stupid? If she knows you're a ex Robin, she already knows we're a _'family'_...."

\- "We're not a family..."

\- "We are... And you are our unbearable younger brother... We don't talk if she doesn't ask ... For the other people am I just a stranger along with the rich and boring boy, deal? Because, there's no way you can ask for help if I'm far away..." - Todd laughed victoriously - "Hey, you didn't tell me... What she did to give you an... You know... That tiny problem in the middle of your legs? With teenagers I understand that it is something inevitable, but you're out of this phase..."

\- "I'm not going to answer that..." - Damian just turned his back and walked into the room again. 

\- "Oh come on, it's just the two of us here...!"

\- "You can go, Todd, our conversation is over for now..."

\- "Ah... You'll not tell me...? I'm going to tear this off you an hour, little shit..." - Damian wanted to hit his head on the wall until he lost consciousness as penance for thinking of accepting Jason's help.

Or maybe Todd's head...

\- "Go home or to wherever you hide and we meet at the bar at 10:00 pm, okay..."

\- "10:00? Are you planning to open the bar before her?" - Damian looked at him without understanding - "I said you're fucked up having made a deal with her, you don't even know the time to get to a place like that!"

\- "I thought the parties had hour to start and end..."

\- "You sound like if the laws were working in Gotham... Look, at least 23:30? Okay? And dress up with something cool, nothing too social... Some leather, jeans... Be the narcissist playboy son of a bitch that Bruce taught you to be... You today will have fun like never before with your older brother in own house of Satan! I mean, his daughter...!" - Jason raised his arms with a huge grin on his face.

Damian was regretting bitterly that he had accepted Jason's help. But he couldn't help feeling something strange in his chest. Jason was the brother with whom he had less contact when he lived in Gotham, and of the few times, they fought in almost all of them. It seemed just right to spend time with him now. Even if he didn't admit it. Not even if Superman threatened to tear the moon from the sky if he didn't admit it.

Damian was regretting bitterly that he had accepted Jason's help. But she couldn't help feeling something strange in her chest. Jason was the brother with whom he had less contact when he lived in Gotham, and of the few times, they quarreled in almost all of them. It seemed just right to spend time with him now. Even if he did not admit it or a death jury. Not even bif Superman threatened to tear the moon from the sky if he didn't admit it.

When Todd decided that Damian's hotel room was boring and saw that the boy wouldn't stop working and left, Damian began to feel strangely anxious and couldn't concentrate. Todd was an idiot most of the time and always found a way to annoy Damian, but the silence of the room made him think too much... Think of his mother telling him not to fail, think about the League of the Assassins, think about his legacy and the motives who made him accept the fate he spent years trying to get away from, think about his responsibility and how he became the new Ra's

And think of the reason that made him go back to Gotham. 

He had to leave, everything seemed suffocating, his thoughts seemed to suffocate him. And he kind of wanted to take Todd's advice and wear something cool. If he needed to mix, he needed to dress like a guy his age, right? Spending years being a rich boy from the Wayne family eventually turned him into a guy who liked to dress in suits and social pants like his father. The first time he used something not so social, it was exactly at the bar.

It was just to blend in with the mission, that's what he was saying to himself on the way to Gotham's business district. He wanted to convince the annoying voice that he was going to buy new clothes just for the mission.

It had nothing to do with the suggestion of having fun with Todd.

Not with the demon girl who'd been tormenting his sleep since last night.

It was just work.

_"You want to impress her, but you're going to keep lying to yourself saying it's just to blend in"_

He shook his head as he ventured to look at the shop windows and tried to find something he thought was "cool" and even managed to distract himself for a while looking at a jacket or pants. Being a Wayne and an Al Ghul, Damian never had to worry too much about going out to buy his own clothes, always the best tailors in the world would be ready to serve him. The few times he'd walked into a store, he'd always been bored with everyone else buying shallow things. But he could even see some fun in it. For the first time in 23 years, Damian was just being Damian... Not the murderous Arab heir, not the playboy prince of Gotham. Just Damian...

And he felt incredibly good about it.

When he returned to the hotel (with a few bags) Damian felt completely normal, just like any other boy the same age as him and that was strange to him. He decided to let himself relax a little more that day, just rest and lie on the couch watching a stupid thing on television while eating a lot of bullshit wouldn't kill him, and he was already in hell, he saw no problem embracing the devil for the rest of the day.

For a second Damian could even laugh at his thought. If Todd heard him saying that, he'd probably come up with a way to irritate him for the rest of his life.

When night fell in Gotham and the lights of the city made her more sinister than she was, Damian decided to start packing to find Todd, the anxiety coming back to hit him full while he took a shower, think of seeing Raven did that feeling suffocated hitting him again. Damian let the water fall a little more on his face and shoulders and then left the bathroom drying his hair as he chose the bag of his recent purchases choosing what to wear. A leather jacket, black shirt and dark jeans looked "cool" enough. He dressed and looked in the mirror feeling stupid for following Todd's advice. It wasn't typical for him to dress like that.

And maybe it was right, he wouldn't in any way look like the rich kid he was. _"Rich boys like him didn't go to that bar first"_ he thought.

At the scheduled time, Damian left the hotel for the bar, had a little work in convincing a taxi driver to go to that part of town, he did not remember having had that problem the night before. Damian considered renting a car the other day, taxi drivers usually ask a lot and he was not in his best mood for conversations and kindness with strangers. When he got close to the bar and got out of the cab, he saw Todd leaning against the red blood bike he knew well (Damian had stolen her a few times and if there was anything Todd could love and be jealous about, that was his bike).

\- "Well, not bad..." he grunted, looking at Damian. Damian noticed that he already had a beer in one hand and a cigarette in another. - "Good to see you followed my advice."

\- "Shut up and let's go..."

\- Do you want some? You'll need it, you know ... "He offered the bottle he held, Damian thought for a second before accepting... It was better to drink something Todd was offering than anything Raven offered. Damian took a sip, was it possible some alcoholic drink didn't taste horrible? Each was worse than the other.

\- "I don't know how you can drink this, it's horrible..."

\- "Beer is a matter of custom... I still can't believe you didn't go to parties when you were the little prince Wayne..."

\- "I had more important things to do, and the parties and balls that my father made me go to always had only refined drinks..."

\- "Boring... That's why I'm always drunk at meetings and ridiculous balls, you can't get out alive and sober from these shit..."

\- "Remember that we're not going to have fun Todd ... It's still work... I still need to find out about her weakness..."

\- "Can't you relax a little?"

\- "TT"

\- "Great..." - Todd laughed, drinking the rest of the beer, then wrapped his arm around Damian's neck, laughing as they entered the bar. Damian couldn't help shivering and anxious to get into that place again. The memories of the previous night hitting him like a punch and everything coming like a tornado in his head. The music played louder than the night before and people danced to those beats.

Todd smiled dragging Damian to the bar and he couldn't help the frustration that struck him when he saw that Raven wasn't there, just the other girl wearing the same torn clothes the day before and heavy makeup. Damian couldn't hear what Todd was talking to her, but he was sure it was better not to hear, for the laughter the woman gave and the way she looked at Jason. Anxiety grew in Damian's chest as his eyes traveled the place and didn't see Raven. He didn't want to believe she wasn't there, that he had gone to that bar for nothing.

\- "So little brother, any success finding your girl?"

\- "No... No sign of her... Wait, she's not my girl!" - Todd laughed giving him the other beer he held, in the nervousness and the strange and uncontrollable feeling he felt, Damian accepted the beer without thinking twice. 

\- "Are not you looking for her because she's your mission and all this shit? That's what I'm talking about... Look who's nervous just thinking about the little pale-skinned devil"

\- "I'm not nervous... I just want to get over with this..."

\- "Of course, of course... Just end it... No sexual attraction on a pretty infernal bird..."

\- "Shut up before I regret coming here with you..."

He was just beginning to make sure she wasn't there when Todd gave him a nudge so hard Damian thought for a few seconds that Todd had gone crazy and was attacking him. When he looked at Jason, he had the beer standing in the middle of the way looking at one point.

\- "God be merciful to our souls and thoughts because the devil apparently has no mercy" - Jason said paralyzed.

Damian followed Jason's gaze and could feel his senses all flare up with each of the beats they played on the bar speaker.

_I ain't no angel // Don't got no halo_

Damian could see the whole universe around decelerate in a strange way. He could hear the beat of the music playing in the background, the lights flashing and the voices of the people around him, but he was paralyzed.

His brain had stopped processing everything he needed to do that day.

_I cut off my wings_

Part of him (a large part by the way) agreed with Todd, if there was any entity up there or some God, he needed help. THAT was beyond divine, it was demonicly divine. He wanted to scream. Like a scared little boy.

_I'm your darkest dream_

\- "I'm sure I'm going to dream about this for the rest of my life..." Todd's voice sounded a little more hysterical than normal in the back of Damian's mind.

No, no, no... He just thought he didn't need that kind of impulse to lose sleep again. He wanted to break the bottle of beer in his own head so that his senses would return to normal. But for some reason, his arms and legs didn't respond to the commands of the brain.

In fact, Damian doubted that his brain was working.

_I'll crawl inside your mind<\i>_

_In the middle of the dance floor, smiling was her. Damian mentally pictured every move and detail of her. He could hear the frightened little boy and his reason trying to get him back to normal but he felt as if he were hypnotized or bewitched._

_Her hair held the two little horns like the night before. Her hair was messy, the waves crashing awkwardly on her face, neck, and shoulder, and her bangs were clumsy as if she had nodded her head many times._

_ _I will make you mine//And I'm gonna take my time_ _

_Her eyes were marked with a black outline like the night before. Her lips were blood red, and something in the back of his head screamed it was pure poison. Every second she would smile at the beat of the song or take the bottle she held to her lips, Damian's heart jumped._

_ _They call me devil // My heart is empty_ _

_She held the necklace with the strange red stone around her neck again, in a black choker around her neck that was much enhanced by the pale skin tone of her exposed collarbone. And then there was all the trouble that Damian and Todd were talking about._

_ _They call me devil // Just try and tempt me_ _

_She wore a sort of black dress tight to her body. Damian wasn't sure if that was really the kind of dress you should wear without other dress on top, but she looked extremely comfortable in wearing it. It was full of hooks from top to bottom. It was so tight to her body that it emphasized every curve she had, each one of them. Attached to the dress were two straps and a thin black sock that left a piece of her thigh exposed and she wore a high-heeled boot. Damian's mind engraved every detail of her in that dress and he was sure it would haunt him for the rest of his life along with the other memories. The fight in his brain for his actions to return to normal became more intense every time he remembered having to do simple actions, like swallowing the beer that had been standing in his mouth since Todd nudged him.  
He thanked in the back of his mind for keeping his mouth shut, it would be too embarrassing if he had instinctively opened his mouth and the beer dropped. She was still dancing when she looked up at him and opened a big smile like she had done most of the time the night before. The same smile she gave while he kissed her. Damian could have sworn he saw a flash of red in her eyes from the distance he was._

_ _They call me devil// And you should be afraid._ _

_She swayed again to the beat, her eyes closed, fading into the crowd again. Damian had to blink a few seconds wondering if that had ever happened. Things slowly returning to normal speed. Todd still had the bottle halfway to the same spot Damian was looking at earlier._

_\- "Dude..." - He finally spoke after a few seconds - "You're really fucked... 100% fucked... On every possible and imaginable level ... She's the devil... I'm sure of it."_

_\- "She... she's using her powers against us..." - He wiped sweat from his brow, Damian didn't have to answer. He knew that Raven played dirty, dirtier than he'd ever imagined._

_He never had to deal with the kind of sexy woman like her. Maybe Ivy, but not like that, didn't get to the feet of the strange effect that Raven had on him._

_Maybe if he hit his head hard on the wall things would get back to normal._

_\- "Jay!" - A voice pulled him from the hole of thoughts that he was threading - "Oh my God Jay, you disappeared for what seems to be forever!" - Damian looked where the voice was coming from._

_She was coming toward them with a big smile on her lips and her arms stretched out to Jason, giving him a tight hug. Jason looked at Damian hoping his brother wouldn't decide to kill him. That bastard was really possessive when he wanted to._

_\- "Oh... Er... Work, pretty bird... How are you?"_

_\- "Very well, especially now..." - She laughed, looking down at Damian._

_\- "Hm... You know my... My friend? I mean, this guy was all lost out looking here..."_

_\- "I imagine... He's... A new client at the bar... Isn't bird boy?" - She smiled at Damian biting her lower lip._

_\- "I wasn't lost..." - he muttered, trying to sound stoic. Something was stirring him to see Todd's arm around her waist._

_\- "Always so serious..." - she grunted, turning her attention to Todd. - "Hey, why don't you tell me the news?" Got into more trouble?_

_\- "As always, isn't pretty bird?" - He laughed, drinking the beer._

_Something magical changed dramatically inside Damian, a rage, the same one he felt when Todd said that maybe she already had another guy took care of the feeling he had._

_A feeling of... _Possession_._

_Damian wanted to scream again, but now with Jason. He'd said she was too young for him, right? He'd said she wasn't his type, right? And that they had talked only a few times..._

_Why did Damian feel this? And why they acted as if they knew each other in lifetime...._

_And those nicknames?_

_Damian wanted to break the bottle now into Todd's head._

_\- "Hmmm, hey we'll not stand here... Come on, it's a singles party today... Since in 3 days it's Valentine's Day I decided to make a celebration for those who haven't met the soul mates yet... Or the ones who don't want to find one" - She wrapped her arms around Todd's neck and Damian didn't know if his face burned with anger or hatred._

_And he didn't even know why he was feeling it._

_\- "I think... My friend here can go dancing with you... Isn't, strange friend I've never seen before?" - Todd's voice was almost hysterical again._

_\- "I-I don't dance..." - Damian mumbled, folding his arms._

_\- "But you can dance tonight... right?" - Todd said between his teeth._

_\- Oh... No, Jay... This bird boy when put something on his head, tsc... But I have a gift for him and he knows we have... A deal... Right?" - She looked up at him, her eyes glowing with a dangerous dark purple._

_\- "I don't dance... Feel free to do whatever you want with her..." - Damian replied dryly. The anger he felt melting in his voice. Before Todd responded, she took his hand and went out pulling him onto the floor. Damian can see Todd say a "You're an asshole" while letting himself be pulled by her._

_\- "You know you're giving her exactly what she wants, right?" - Damian blinked twice before noticing it was the other girl at the bar talking._

_\- "What?"_

_\- "You're giving her exactly what she wants..." - she was cleaning the workbench - "Karlla..." - She reached out for him and he squeezed for education. - "Raven is a nice girl... A friend here... She saved me..."_

_\- "So why are you telling me this?"_

_\- "I don't know, I saw you yesterday and... It's funny how she got obsessed with you before you even entered..." - Damian nodded slightly as he sat down on the stool where Todd was before. - "She likes the challenge. You make things difficult for her will only make her game more interesting..."_

_\- "So you propose to a complete stranger that he yields to your boss's whims."_

_\- "Hmm... No, she'd give up easy on you... I said, she likes the challenge..." - She laughed - "Just... Learn to play in her territory if you want to make this cat-and-mouse joke..."_

_\- "You think I just want to play with her?"_

_\- "And you don't want to? Don't lie to me, I saw you looking at her today... I saw the frustration on your face when you came in here and didn't see her..." - She gave him a smile_

_\- "Who are you...?"_

_\- "No one you need to know... But knew that hybrid demons also got their... Let's say.... Guardian Angels?"_

_\- "You are an angel? Like, real angel?"_

_\- "No... I've been, but... I fell because of a... family fight." - She laughed. Damian felt strangely relaxed, but at the same time he could feel a certain pair of purple eyes watching him from afar. He refused to give in to his alcoholic paranoia and focus on what the blond-haired woman in front of him spoke - "An old friend sent me here to keep an eye on his protected..." - She took a deep breath. - "The point is not who I am but, you and my... Boss and protected..."_

_\- "What are you talking about?"_

_\- "From your feelings, rich boy... I saw that you want her more than you show... The kiss yesterday? I thought you two were going to burn in the couch... You have a strong chemistry, a fate thing..."_

_\- "Go to the point..."_

_\- "Learn to play in her territory and then, you will have this girl in your hand..." - She laughed. "Oops, I think your friend was faster... Damn, I was interested in him..."_

_"- What are y-" - Damian didn't need to think too much. In the middle of the lane she was hanging from his neck and they kissed. Jason was gripping her waist, pulling and squeezing, Damian could see where he was from, the knuckles of his fingers were almost white..._

_\- "What the fuck is he thinking he's doing?"_

_Damian could almost see everything red and he didn't even know why. All he wanted fill Todd's face with punch. Why was he doing this? Why were he kissing her?_

_Why had Todd done this to him?_

_Why was she torturing him like this?_

_Damian felt a bitterness rise in his throat and this time he couldn't push him down again. He wanted to break everything and he didn't know where all this will came from._

_He was like that because of the mission, right? Because it was important..._

_There was nothing more than this... Right?_

_Why was she kissing Todd? What did he have? he was a stupid gorilla brain who only did the wrong things to get Bruce's attention._

_\- "What a....... Kiss..." - Karlla grumbled - "Ops... I feel a lot of emotions of rage of jealousy too here, I think I need a break..."_

_\- "Give me something strong... The strongest you have there..." - He grunted._

_\- "Are you sure?" - He didn't answer and she just understood as yes - "Okay..." - She shrugged and handed him a glass with a transparent drink. - "I think vodka can help you." - Damian drank the contents at once without feeling the taste or the effect of the drink on his throat. That taste helped push the bitter taste he had in his mouth when he saw Todd with Raven. He sat there for a while, looking at both of them, the anger he felt growing in his chest. And he didn't even know why._

_Why did she affect him that much? Why did he care so much about what she did? He felt dizzy, he needed air. Everything around him seemed too overwhelming. Todd looked at Damian from where he was and gave a laugh that sounded too nervous to himself and Damian only showed the middle finger to him._

_Damian noticed that he no longer had control of what he was doing. And he regretted drinking without thinking first. He got up and walked into the bathroom, needed water on his face and a place without those flashing lights that made him dizzy._

_Damian stood for a moment in front of the knocked out mirror in front of him reflecting on what was happening to him. He didn't understand why he felt so angry to see Todd with her, he didn't care... Right?_

_\- "Stop behaving like an idiot and play her game ... Remember what the woman told you and play her game..." Damian grumbled to himself. He needed to convince himself and use that pointless rage for something._

_ _"A stupid excuse to explain that you want to kiss her"_ _

_When he felt he was fine again and wasn't going to vomit, he went out the door only to find her leaning against the wall, curling a strand of hair on her finger unpretentiously._

_\- "You talk to yourself? This is not healthy..."_

_\- "You tired of that guy? I thought he'd be your... Like he said? Unhappy bastard of the week..."_

_\- "Oh... Is that a tone of jealousy in your voice?_

_\- "Jealous? In your dreams... I just thought you were going to play with him today..._

_\- "Ah... Maybe... But wait, did you talk to him about me?"_

_\- "That's none of your business..." Damian rolled his eyes and turned to walk again, but she took his arm again with supernatural strength and pulled him back to the wall. - "Hey, what th-?" - She laughed biting her lower lip, fingers on his chest again as last night. _"play her game"_ he remembered in the back of his mind._

_\- "Are you leaving so earlyt? But we didn't even talk..."_

_\- "I think we talked enough yesterday..." - he grunted trying to keep up with the same old tone but with a little difficulty. The scent of lavender hit him like the night before. _

_\- "Oh... you left without saying goodbye yesterday... that's not cool."_

_\- "Are you drunk?"_

_\- "This is my secret," she whispered. - "Demons can't get drunk... Slightly happy? Yes... But drunk? No..."_

_\- "You're a hybrid..."_

_\- "That's where the fun is! I'm really happy, let's say... My human side who gets all the load and I'm completely a mess...! It's a funny feeling... " - She laughed, Damian could see she was doing the same game the day before, snaking through his body. He had the advantage of knowing how she played, and that was exactly how he was going to play._

_Damian could deal with the hell later. And the vodka would help him forget._

_He honestly counted on that._

_\- "Do you want to know? You were right, I'm so serious... I drank a vodka and some beers today and I'm feeling really good..."_

_\- "See, bird boy? I know what I'm doing..." - She smiled, her eyes were that dark red that he saw the day before. - "And can I confess something? Your friend there is nothing compared to you..."_

_\- "Interesting..." - Damian laughed, unable to avoid the pang of pride that grew inside him. Todd was going to have to hear this later, Damian would make a point of throwing that in his face. - "Why are you locking me in here? If you want something, do it..."_

_\- "You asked for it, wonder boy..." - She smiled, pulling him into a kiss. Damian smiled too, playing her game wasn't difficult. She only thought of seducing and had a bigger ego than Gotham's buildings, he just needed to inflate it and then cut it in half._

_Like she had done with him._

_Damian returned the kiss with good will, as he had done the night before. Their mouths fit perfectly and her shape seemed to fit perfectly with his body. Her arms seemed to have been made to fit his neck. Raven slid her fingertips around his neck curling them into Damian's hair as his hands tightened around her waist, pulling her close to him, almost making their bodies one. _

_He spun her around changing her positions and pinning her against the wall as he slid his lips down her jaw and reaching her neck with a facility he found strange, earning a low moan from her. Was she playing too or did she really want him as that annoying voice screamed in his mind? He decided to play more with her and make her taste her own poison. She was sold and he knew that soon he couldn't answer more about himself. One of his hands slid her waist down to one of her thighs pulling to his waist as he squeezed tightly as he kissed her again._

_Damian had to stop before he got lost... He tried to think of Jason being annoying to return to the island of the living_

_But it was so addictive, he was so close and she was so ready... Part of him knew that it was a bad idea to have done it, all the memories of the day before and the time when she was dancing, coming hard with these new sensations._

_\- "Office... Now..." - She mumbled between the kiss_

_\- "Wh-what?" - He stepped back a little._

_\- "Office... Let's go to my office..." - Damian laughed before stepping away from her leaving her totally stunned, but with a huge smile on her face._

_\- "Oh... One day of hunting and another day of the hunter, demon girl... Turns are fair game..." - He laughed away from her that was a mess (he was also, but would deal with it later )._

_\- "There's going to be a return, boy bird ..."_

_\- "Knowing you, I know you're going to..." - He laughed, turning around._

_\- "Have a sweet dream tonight, bird boy..." - She screamed as he walked back up the stairs to the sofa to find Todd. It was not difficult to find him along with two other women and a few bottles of beer on the couches. He rose nervously when he saw Damian. - "I'm going now..."_

_\- Hi... umhn... Are you going? Hehe... You're not... You're going to kill me, aren't you?" - Damian thought well, could throw in his face what Raven said of him later._

_\- "No, I already got tired of here... I already got something that I wanted... You can stay... But be careful with your tongue Todd..."_

_\- Got? Oh... Okay ... We'll talk soon then?" - Damian shrugged. And he turned his back as he walked out the door._

_He wasn't sure what he had accomplished, he took the advice of a stranger and played Raven's game. He felt incredibly fine to have avenged from the night before, but he still had that anger for her and Todd and there was nothing concrete. And it probably would have made his sleep problem worse._

_Had she said what when he walked away? Sweet Dreams?_

_Damian didn't understand why she said it, but he knew one thing. _

_She said that wasn't a good sign._


	8. Chapter 8

Damian watched her walk slowly to him as she smiled mischievously at his lips. The bar was empty and he was sitting on the same couch as before.

\- "I said it would be back, bird boy.... I said you'd be mine..."

\- "What are you talking about? Why am I here?"

\- "You called me here and now you pretend you don't know?"- She bit her lip as she pushed him against the back of the sofa and sat on his lap like the night they met. She wore a blood red dress that had a crack that left her thigh almost all exposed and Damian had to mentally agree with Todd. He was mentally begging someone to take him straight to hell.

But he wouldn't admit it even on his deathbed.

\- "Are you crazy? I didn't call you here... I don't even know how to call you in the first place... " - She put her finger to his lips silencing him.

\- "Shhhhhhhhhh wonder boy, let's not waste time when I know you want it as much as I want..." - she smiled as she slid her finger from his mouth - "Why waste time with silly games of disinterest and people who will not add anything in our life...? And besides... We have to finish what we started that day, don't you think?" - She licked his lip with a sinister red glow in her eyes.

Damian wanted to scream...   
Or run away...   
Or push her to the ground...   
Or tell her to look for Todd since she seemed to like him before he fucked up with everything... 

He could already feel it coming back like the two nights they met... The desire to kiss her, the feeling of being lost, that smell of lavender and the taste of vanilla and cheap drink ...

Damian was lost...

Maybe if he pushed her to the ground and hit his head on something, he would return to normal... He began to worry that this was always the first option that came to him whenever she was around.

\- "What are you planning? I'm absolutely sure I don't remember calling you..." - She laughed, letting her head fall back.

\- "Are you scared bird boy? Don't tell me it's your first time...?"

\- "Don't be stupid, of course it isn't... I just don't understand all this..."

\- "And why? What's up, boy? Why do you want to understand something simple that is the desire you feel for me? Why do you deny to yourself so much? I feel your feelings... I can feel that you want me with every cell of your body..." 

\- "Because I want to understand what's going on here... I don't remember coming here much less having called you... This is strange... I remember leaving, but I don't remember how I came to stop here..."

\- "And does it matter? The important thing is that we are here..." - She smiled. - "Why are you in denial, Al Ghul? What are you afraid of?" - She smiled holding his hand in the part where the crack of the dress gave space for the her thigh was exposed giving a slight squeeze.

\- "What are you doing?" - Damian took a deep breath almost defeated - "Why do you want this so much? It's just... Carnal need..."

\- "I am a demon, boy... Carnal needs are my essence..." - She smiled bending down to kiss him. A calm, almost affectionate kiss, making Damian sigh defeated.

For the first (and oddly) time, Damian felt defeated and because of a woman. He could almost feel like his brothers now.

Her hands slid down his neck causing a shiver in his spine that made her smile demonic. Her lips were blood red like the dress she wore and her hair in waves that fell under her shoulders that were uncovered.

It was intoxicating. And now he wanted more.

It seemed like he was in a dream where nothing else mattered to him but kissing those lips and taking off that dress she wore. He no longer gave a damn for his control, honestly, what harm could happen to just be a normal guy someday? For the gods he could swear that the only thing he could think of was those crimson red lips and how he would love to take that lipstick from her lips.

Fuck mission  
Fuck The Assassins League  
Friggin Trigon and all the shit from Lazarus's pit  
Fuck all the shit he had to do, he just needed her. He could die later, but there, at that moment Raven was the only thing that mattered to her.

He didn't even care if the world collapsed. He'd been carrying that weight on his back a long time. Now he would only be a 23 year old guy with a wonderful girl. He broke the kiss away a little so he could look at her for a moment. Before a wave of desire and lust hit him with an almost uncontrollable strength.

Something deep in his mind said that he wasn't like that, but he didn't listen, not when he had those red eyes locked in his and a demonic smile just for him.

In one swift movement, he cupped her face and pulled her into another kiss, one hand stroking her hair as the other struggled to find a way to unbutton that dress. He didn't even know why he was doing it, or why he let himself be carried like that, he just did. The strap of her dress fell over her arm leaving her skin exposed.

A beautiful pale skin that he never thought he would love to leave marked with hickeys and bites.

He didn't even know why the hell he called her there. Not even if he had actually called. The only thing he remembered was that he wanted to be able to kiss every inch of her skin.

She gave him space to reach for her neck and he took advantage of every scent of her, every feel of her skin against his lips giving little bites and hickeys where he could as she pulled his hair with her eyes closed. Damian pulled her waist harder, before stifling a moan with another kiss. She moved a little away from him, her delicate hands traveling from his hair to his neck, then to his chest unbuttoning his shirt without any difficulty, her eyes glittering with excitement as her hand continued to descend more, unbuttoning his jeans without any impediment. Damian couldn't move, nor make her stop.... In fact, the only certainty he had was that he didn't want her to stop.

Damian froze when she got up, taking a few steps away. With one movement she turned on the music and was playing the one she danced when he saw her at the bar the other night. She began to swing from side to side, closing her eyes and letting herself get carried away by the music. Damian knew it was his chance to run away but couldn't move... he seemed mesmerized by how her hands made the movements in a sensual and light way up her waist, sliding down her breasts and going to her neck. As if by magic, the dress let go of all the buttons that Damian hadn't been able to find. 

There was a voice screaming that something was wrong going on here. 

She smiled as she slid her fingers over her shoulders, pulling the handles down slowly, letting her show off a black lingerie she was wearing. Damian let a breath out that he didn't remember he was holding back as she walked back to him. She licked her lip and smiled, and as if in the same magic, his jeans were on the other side of the bar floor.

Okay, things were really wrong here... 

She crouched to the ground and began to crawl to Damian like a lioness, kneeling in front of him. Damian didn't know what to do, and the voice in the back of his head screamed it was a spell. That wasn't real... But how was it not real if he could feel her skin at the tips of his fingers?

She smiled biting her lip and then started filling him with kisses, bites and licks. Damian felt his whole body paralyze, her fingertips danced in his belly sliding lower and lower, an unfamiliar noise came out of his throat as her shameless hand slid into his underwear and he could only close his eyes and hold her hair tugging a little as she distributed kisses or licked along his body while her hands were still moving. Damian could no longer form any thoughts and didn't want to. His breathing went unregulated, his whole body lit at her touch and she didn't stop, Damian was losing his sanity.

She smiled demonicly and began kissing his body again until she was on top of him again, legs clinging to his waist and arms on his shoulder. Damian's breath caught in his throat as he let her do what she wanted with him. She made almost no effort to drive him mad. She kissed him again, quick, needy and full of desire. Damian wasted no time, he was already in Hell, he had already accepted it, let his hands travel down her body touching every inch of her, kissing her jaw, lips down her neck, colarbone and reaching the valley of her breasts, earning a low moan while she tugged his hair in response to his actions. She bit her lip, her back arched as she moved her hip in him. 

\- "Raven... Y-..."

\- Not yet... - She licked her lips looking at him, and magically, they were in their clothes again, and he had his hand on her thigh... Like if everything had not passed from a dream, like if nothing had happened. Damian's brain looked like a time bomb ready to explode.

\- "What the f-"

\- "Time to wake up, bird boy..."

Wait what? What had she said?

He was definitely losing his sanity. His brain had probably exploded.

\- "Wh-what?"

\- "Wake up!"

With a jump, Damian woke up looking around, was in his room, it was still 3 AM and the city was in complete darkness. His breathing was accelerating, he seemed to have run a fucking marathon and had that problem again. He'd had those same problems with sleep the previous two nights, Raven had done some with his head he was sure of it. Ever since he'd gone to the bar again, he couldn't close his eyes without remembering her on her lap, her hands on his neck and the scent of lavender she had. 

And he always woke up in the middle of the night dreaming about it.

And about something more...

And with a mid-leg problem.

At last, this was the third night of this, and he was just tired of fighting with his head. The first night they met he dreamed about her, but for the last three nights, since he and Todd had gone to the bar and he had kissed her again, his dreams had become more vivid. Damian wanted to punch himself, but he only had a pillow on his face, maybe suffocation was also a good form of torture. How did he, an Al Ghul, trained all his life to deal with this kind of situation, was having that kind of problem and that kind of dream? 

_"Have a sweet dream tonight, bird boy..."_

Then he gave up sleeping and after a cold shower to get his thoughts in order and compose himself, he decided he wouldn't be back so early in the bar. Todd would do that, he didn't seem to care about manipulating her.

He knew he had promised to return and on the day he even felt brave enough for it, but after 3 nights waking up in the middle of the night because of her, he had to learn to deal with this problem first... He was afraid of that could happen.

He wouldn't go back to that bar if his life depended on it.

Todd could do that, Todd would surely love to wake up with this kind of dream, he didn't.

He just hoped Todd couldn't ruin everything because of a woman.

Damian decided to contact Todd, luckily he would still be awake shooting some idiot or drinking in some bar. After telling him more about meeting to take the next step in the plan, Damian didn't have much to do but try not to think on the bar girl.

He needed to do some research but simply couldn't focus on anything without remembering the taste of vanilla with cheap drink, the scent of lavender invading his thoughts like if she were on his side or the shirt tight against her body that made her show every curve she had or how she smiled when he kissed her, the way her eyes sparkled colors according to the situation and how her lips were soft or how her skirt rose a little and was tight on her thigh when she sat on his lap, or how desperate she looked for him telling them to go to the office and how with a single moan she made all his bones almost melt. Damian recorded it all in his mind and he didn't even know why, but it had been tormenting him 24 hours a day in the last two days like a bad song that sticks in your head and you don't know how to take it.

He was thinking about it now while trying not to think.

And how he felt a bitterness in his mouth from seeing her with Todd... See Todd hold her waist, see her in his arms. Damian felt the bitterness in his mouth again and an uncontrollable rage within himself. What the fuck was that anger? Why was he feeling stupid like that? She didn't even know about the connection between them, they did everything so that they both passed as strangers to each other and he now felt an uncontrollable rage at Todd... What was he thinking? Todd had told him that she was too young for him and then yesterday he just stood there dancing and kissing her... 

He couldn't kiss her... Wait, why couldn't, Damian?

Damian wanted to stick his head in the microwave and let it explode, it was the only way he could make his head stop remembering that hurricane with the letter R or stop all the anger he was feeling about the idiot he used to call brother.

That woman-shaped hurricane, a damn level 5 hurricane that wanted to destroy his life. And he, unfortunately, could already feel her dragging all his sanity with her. As much as he tried to focus on the things Todd had said about her, Damian found himself thinking about those memories of her and Todd and the dream... 

And he hated himself for it.

Maybe it's a spell... 

No, of course it was a spell... 

Maybe...

_"Or maybe you're just sexually attracted to her..."_

Again that voice in his head. The voice that would tell him something whenever he thought of her. He was getting annoyed with that voice. It sounded like a more annoying version of his brothers inside his head telling him what he didn't need to hear. He needed to exercise his training to try to silence that voice and the thoughts of the girl and the memories of hid dreams.

Each time that voice came in his head, the urge to stick his head in the microwave increased.

Damian ended up staying up the rest of the night training and trying to figure out the source of his problems. When daylight dawned, that common gray of Gotham, (which he always thought strange as it seemed that the city lived in an eternal winter), he decided to take a shower and order his breakfast while waiting for Todd to appear.

He hoped that bastard wouldn't forget.

And of course Todd didn't forget, but he made his dramatic entries... If Damian was armed with one of his katanas, Todd was a dead man now just to almost kill Damian with fright.

\- "Little brother! I should have hated for making me wake up early... But you said it was about the bar so here I am e-HEY calm, it's just me..."

\- "What is your problem? Can't ask to be advertised at the reception or something?"

\- "Is this all daddy's fear?" Or Raven's? Or mommy's?

\- "Shut up, I told you, I will not tolerate your joking..."

\- "All right..." - Todd threw himself into his chair, placing his feet on the table as he picked up a bunch of grapes and ate, throwing up unconcernedly. - "What's the plan?"

\- "I need to gather information about her, but I can't go back to the bar... I need to stay here and try to find someone or something that can help me... I need to find Constantine or someone who can deal with demons..."

\- "Wait, rewind the tape... You _can't_ go back to the bar? Because..............…........?" - Damian rolled his eyes.

\- "Because someone needs to do the work, Todd... And because somehow she has influence on me. Her powers work on me more than I imagined, and that may put the mission at risk. Okay?"

\- "Yeah... I got it..." 

\- "'Got it'? Great... It shows that your brain is not as small as I imagined"

\- "Yeah! You're masturbating thinking about her...! You're a naughty little shit, asshole..." - Damian's eyes widened, and for two seconds he had to be careful not to kill Todd with the breakfast cutlery.

\- "WHAT? NO!"

\- "Wow, what the problem? it's normal if you play a little with your friend... No need to be ashamed and a girl like Raven is halfway gone... Your mind can travel far, you know it..."

\- "Shut up Todd! Of course I'm not doing it!" - Todd laughed, seeing the effect of their play on Damian's cheeks and ears. He could have grown up and now be a man, but nothing would change the fact that he was still a shy kid inside when when the subject became about sex and women. Or the two together.

The fun of Todd and Grayson always went to see who could leave Damian with the red cheeks.... Of course they always ended up fighting in the middle of the room of the Wayne manor, being separated by Alfred.

\- "Okay, I'll stop baffling you... But know it's normal... And I don't judge you" - Todd was chuckling. Damian never wanted so bad that he choke with a grape - "So... What was the crime she committed against your death league? You said she's a fugitive, right?"

\- "It wasn't with me... She's the daughter of a demon, Trigon... He's, let's say, an old partner of the Al Ghul family... Provides all the magic and stuff to the Lazarus Pit... He wants his daughter back in exchange for the continuity of our partnership... So I have to take her to Nanda Parbat... " - Todd looked at him for a few seconds and then burst out laughing.

\- "Best plost twist ever!"

\- "What are you talking about, idiot?"

\- "Imagine how your 'business partner' will stay when he finds out you want to fuck his daughter...?"

\- "I said I will not tolerate your jokes Todd!" - If a look could kill, Todd was probably going to tell Trigon about his brother and Raven now because Damian was looking at him as if he was going to make him swallow what he said. Todd noticed that he didn't deny it again, but he preferred to play this joke another time... Falling from the 15th floor would not be a good way to die.

\- "Okay, calm down..." - He sat down again - "So, what do I have to do?"

\- "You go to the bar... get close to her, collect information..." - Todd opened a huge smile as a child opening the Christmas presents and discovering that he won the most glittering train in the store - "Don't get excited, I don't want you being distracted with her again... Nothing to be funny with her... Not even calling her the horrible things you say... The last time you had fun with her was that day... I will not tolerate it again"

\- "Buzzkill son of a bitch... Can I at least know why?"

\- "Because I don't want!" - Damian nearly screamed, feeling his face turn red and hot. - "Damn it, Todd! You're working for me, I don't want you putting everything to waste with it!"

\- "'Cause you're too sexy beautiful // And everybody want to taste, that’s why // I still get jealous...." - Todd hummed with closed eyes and making his fork an improvised microphone. A pillow flew over his face seconds later.

\- "Try to concentrate, I warned you that at the first glide you're out... Try to approach her, but don't talk too much... She's dangerous..."

\- "She can walk on top of me if she wants..."

\- "Todd... Focus..."

\- "Are you going to take any action? Or you'll just be there in that... You know... Playing with your hands?"

\- "Oh fuck, Todd! This is serious!" - Todd bit his lip with a laugh.

\- "I'm just saying that if you're not going to have a little fun with her, I don't know why you're imposing me this much... I may well get information while I let her do what she did to you with this little body that dad in heaven gave me... Unless you admit that you're jealous that she kissed me that day and didn't give a fuck to you" - Damian almost laughed remembering the time he left the bathroom and how she curled up in him. The sound of her low moan and her voice and her talking to the office still echoed in his head.

Oh she really didn't give a fuck about him.

\- "I'm not jealous... Stop messing, Todd... Why I would be jealous...? If I wanted her, I would have... I can have the woman I want, as many as I want, women more beautiful and more sensual than her if I want... You know that monogamy doesn't exist for someone with Al Ghul blood... I just don't want it!"

\- "Okay, so don't forbid me to have a moment of happiness with the devil bird and you'll be happy with the odalisle harem"

\- "I don't want a harem, Todd... Stop being an idiot! And no, you can't get involved with Raven" - Damian was swearing that if Todd had this, he would throw him out the window with grape, chair, and everything... And Todd just had fun watching his younger brother nervously - "end of the subject... I don't want to talk about this anymore"

\- "I still don't understand the point of not being able to have fun with her... And wait... Why don't you want a fucking harem? Are you sick? Or are you dumb?" - Damian squeezed the bridge of his nose, giving up on the subject. Todd was a pain in the ass when he argued with one subject, and the more he became irritated, the more Todd would insist.

\- "I'm just saying if you want to sleep with her, fine! Take it... I don't care" - _"lie"_ the voice said in his head - "I don't care what you two can do" - _"lie again"_ \- "she didn't attract me, satisfied?" - _"lie for the 3rd time, will you continue to lie to yourself?"_ \- "but don't compromise the mission... I don't give a shit about you both..."

\- "You're a bad liar, but okay... Today is Valentine's Day, she must do something there..." - Todd leaned back in his chair and ate the grapes. - "May I come and see if I can get anything... But if she plays the dirty game again, I don't answer for myself."

\- "You said she's too young for you..."

\- "And you said that I didn't care about it..." - Jason said just to see Damian's reaction, if there were two things in the world that bastard couldn't do was lie and hide his jealousy... 

Raven was Jason's friend, almost like a little sister... He wouldn't lie and wouldn't say she was attractive, beautiful and had a hot body. But when she kissed him the other day, he felt... Weird... But still, it was fun to see Damian's reaction jealous... Todd's suspicions confirmed with a few gestures

Jason knew he was jealous when he saw him roll his green eyes more often than the normal, the hands close in fist and the mouth form a straight line. And that was exactly what the boy was doing at that moment.

\- "She said you couldn't compare to me..."

\- "Ah of co- wait, what? When did she say that?"

\- "When, it doesn't matter... She said..." - Damian smiled victoriously.

\- "And yet, you didn't do anything... Little brother, if you don't do something, I'll do it... Or Drake ..."

Damian rolled his eyes, feeling a bitterness in his mouth. And then just breathed deeply pushing the bitterness to the bottom again.

\- "Don't put Drake in this, I already said I don't want any other ex-Robin knowing I'm in town!" - Damian could feel his face getting hot - Leave your phone on, but just contact if it's really necessary... If we're lucky she will not have made any connection between Robins and us..." - Todd nodded slowly as he played with a knife.

\- "Okay... Deal... But you're going to pay for this... Because I know you're a rich guy not only from Bruce's side... I remember very well how you lived when your mother's bitch put me like your nanny... Every penny I spend, it will come out of your pocket, you little shit..."

\- "What did you say about my mother?" - Damian clenched his hands into fists. The prohibited subject had been touched and not in a cool way.

\- "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot you're the devoted son of Talia Al Ghul... Even after all the shit she did to you..."

\- "Shut up Todd, I'm not going to ask you again..." Todd just shrugged and stood up.

\- "Whatever, after all the shit you got in her hand and every time she tried to kill you, you still came back to her like an abandoned dog...."

\- "I said shut up, Jason Todd!" - Damian hit his wrist on the table - "You don't know anything about me, or about what I had to go through... Even without Bruce's approval you had everyone's support... I've always been the scum, the ex-assassin who doesn't know how to work in a team... My heritage Al Ghul was the one who waited for me and made me who I am today..." - Damian's eyes were inflamed with hatred and pain, Todd regretted having touched the subject.

\- "Do you really want to talk about not having support? I have to pretend I'm still dead!" - Todd took a deep breath. - "What I mean is that you're not alone, Damian.... Alfred misses you everyday, Dick misses you even though he has become an asshole, Drake has returned and even he misses you, even Babs and Cass miss you... Cassandra keeps saying she wants to kick your ass at Cheese Viking... And Bruce, well he as always tries to make things work but... Justice League is breaking up... He needs his family and family needs you..."

\- "Family? we're not a family, Jason, wake up! Bruce will never see me as a son... I'm always his mistake and when I needed him the most, he kicked me out... This is not family!" - Damian could feel his eyes burning, he had to end the conversation before that heat turned to tears. - "If we're going to have that kind of sentimental talk about my past or what I am now you'd better forget I'm here."

\- "I think we can have a good conversation about this and about the death of the Black Mask and about the peo"- Before Todd finished speaking, a cold blade was against his neck.

-"I told you to shut up!" - Damian was standing at a distance from him, holding his katana. Jason didn't know where it had left, but decided not to ask. He was unarmed and his brother was inflamed with hate and with a certain advantage - "Before I kill you without any recess!"

\- "Okay... You don't want to talk about... Fine... Let's not talk about it, just about the cute demon we have to get... right?"

\- "Fuck you, Todd..." 

"Oh, fuck you too little brother..." - Jason threw the knife that he was playing before on the table anos returning to give a smile. - "You're warned, every drop of alcohol I drink will come out of your pocket..." - Damian rolled his eyes and went to the bedroom. He was fortunate enough to have some (good) money in the bag, knowing his father, he would be tracked in the first bank transaction that he did. Paying everything off on the money was much safer.

\- "Here" - He throwed a lot of rolled up notes - "But don't take this as an endorsement to have fun and stick your face into drinks and women... You're working, Todd... Don't forget this..." - Todd just shrugged, and shoved the money into his pocket.

\- "Whatever..." - Todd got to his feet and walked to the door. - "Is that all you had to talk to me about, spawn?" - Damian nodded as he returned to papers and computer searches without looking at Jason. - "Great, so anything you know how to find me... Daddy's going to have a little fun with that little devil while he works because I can do both..." - Jason said waiting to see Damian's reaction that just showed the middle finger to Jason, tearing a chuckle from his foster-half-brother. Jason didn't need to know that he had kissed Raven shortly after him, and he definitely didn't need to know that he was having problems with dreams of her. He could keep this for him for now.

After Jason left, Damian decided he had to get to work, he was almost one week in Gotham and hadn't gotten any better than his men months before. He knew Raven would kill them, which showed she was not weak. He also knew that she use seduction and magic, but he hadn't yet seen her in action, the only powers he saw using it was a very strong persuasion, strength and that mass of black or purple energy that he still didn't know how it worked or what it did. 

He became so focused on his strategy work that he barely saw the female figure appear on the computer screen.

\- "Damian, my son..." - He felt a shiver run down his spine. Talia Al Ghul, one of the world's greatest killers, daughter of the demon and unfortunately his mother was smiling on the screen on the other side.

Over the years, Damian learned that her smile was not a good sign.

\- "Mother"

\- "How is the mission? Going to return Trigon's daughter to hell?" I hope you're not failing...

\- I had some... Problems... She is more dangerous than I thought ... But I will not fail mother... I will take Trigon's daughter back with my own hands...

\- "Dangerous? Damian, don't tell me you've become a loser just because you've returned to this city..."

\- "No..." - He answered louder than he expected - "It's just that she is full of secrets... And a person known by... the city... And she plays with dark magic and... And with her physical attributes..." - Talia glared at Damian, a dangerous gleam dancing in the woman's green eyes.

\- "She attracts you like a bee to honey, I should have known she's a smart woman... I liked her......" 

\- "She didn't attract me, mother... She knows what to attack, that's all..."

\- "Oh you think I don't know you, Damian... You're just like your father... Weak, dependent on the desires of your body... And she uses the same weapon as every woman like me and her..." 

\- "This will not be a weakness, mother... I promise... I will not give in..." - She sighed as if bored.

\- "I can't believe you inherited that weakness from your father, I should have foreseen this... Men are weak... But fortunately, I have great ideas about it, Lord Trigon will be informed of the situation... Continue with your work Damian... And keep me informed... I hope we have good news the next time we talk... " - And before Damian answered, the screen went out.

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face. He was fucked up, a week in Gotham and he had nothing... His mother would definitely personally kill him if he had nothing concrete next time. And that wasn't a way of speaking... She was literally going to kill him.

And what did she say for "I have ideas"? Talia having ideas was never a good one. Damian stared at the computer screen for a while before dismissing all the frustration and anger he felt at the things on the table.

He felt tired, his life an eternal collection of his destiny. Of his legacy. As a child, charged to be the best warrior, the best Al Ghul. From 10 to 15 years, charged to be good enough to carry Robin's robe, take care of a team, fight his murderous instincts and fight for justice and now, charged to be a leader like his grandfather...

Damian just felt the weight of the world on his back again and knew that failing on this mission meant his death. The deserter of the Al Ghul, the prodigal son... He would never be good enough. He would always have to prove more and more.

He could be the new Ra's, but his mother was still the leader. And he was tired of obeying all her orders.

Damian decided at that moment that when he returned to Nanda Parbat, he would no longer be a puppet of Talia, nor the deserter...

Damian would take his rightful place, as a new Ra's Al Ghul, the Demon's head.


	9. Chapter 9

_Jason Todd_

Jason left the hotel that Damian was staying with a huge smile on his face. The feeling he had after irritating Damian was the same as when he was punching some son in the face of the fight that came when he was in a bad mood. Damian, despite being a pain in the ass and all withdrawn, was easy to read.

And Jason knew damn well how to piss him off.

Damian was falling for Raven, he would not admit it, Jason knew very well how proud his younger brother was, but the signs were there. Damian was easily annoyed at her name, the possessive jealousy he insisted on hiding, and this curiosity in everything that revolved around the pale-skinned, amethyst-eyed girl. Jason could hardly believe he was seeing his brother falling with a woman who had a stone in her heart. He knew Raven shortly, but he knew she didn't fall in love. 

For no one. 

Seriously, for no one _at all_...

She was a woman without any kind of sentimentality and could swear she didn't have a heart at all... She was a hybrid but he was sure that her heart was 100% demonic. The list of guys she'd slept with or killed was just no bigger than Bruce's... And Dick... And he knew she left all the brokenhearted guys after... Raven was a heartbreaker.

Bruce was sure to have a heart attack and Jason would do anything to irritate Bruce with that later. Jason already imagined that he was arriving at the Christmas party and saying, "Hey Bruce, have you set a place on the table for the bitch of your son's mother? And for the woman he chose, which by the way is a demonic hybrid that, besides being able to destroy the world and having fun in making rapists fade has already slept with half the male population of Gotham?"

He would even try not to get drunk to see it happen.

He would still add a nice comment about the harem. "Oh... and she's not the only one... Maybe he has another 10 where he lives... Are they all demons?

Jason was living for it... 

Damian would bitterly regret having touched the subject of a harem even if he remained pure and chaste for the rest of his life... Jason would touch on that subject whenever necessary...

Who would have thought that the rightful son of the richest man in Gotham would fall in love with a demon, like trouble, and not be a womanizer with a harem? seemed like a very good joke... especially when Bruce himself was almost a high society slut and had a relationship with almost the entire female population of Gotham.

Jason wasn't on Raven's list, but he knew her and knew she was more than that.

Raven was a girl with good intentions behind the femme-fatale facade she had. She only did what she did for thinking it was the right way to do it. She had told him one day why she was with those bastards around her. She had been the victim of a son of a bitch in Los Angeles and wouldn't let them go unpunished in Gotham... Raven wasn't unlike Damian and even himself... She did her justice in her own way since it wasn't very efficient. Jason would not judge her.

They became good friends, she always talked to him with a huge smile on her face and always helped him with something or other when he was working near the bar and always kept talking about their miserable lives between beer and beer. Jason would never joke with Raven, she was a strong and wonderful woman, and it was his duty to prevent his little bastard brother from doing her any harm. He promised himself that if Damian did any harm to Raven, he would kill that bastard himself.

For this reason, Jason hid some things from Damian, he first needed to know what he wanted with the girl and then decide whether to sabotage his mission or not... He needed to know why her father wanted her so close to her and why she had run away. And so he would go to the bar that night with the excuse of gathering information for Damian. It wasn't a complete lie, he would try to have something that could talk to his little brother, but first, he would hear Raven's side in the story.

As night fell on Gotham and siren noises took to the streets, Jason knew it was time to go to the bar and pick up his judgment to help or end his brother's life. He always found it funny how the girl had chosen the worst place in town to be enterprising, but he understood that this was how she did her "cleaning job"... Only the worst kind of people went there.

-"JAY!" - He heard the melodious voice and a light body against his and the familiar scent of lavender coming toward him. Pale arms hugging him with supernatural strength.

\- "oof! Rae!" - He hugged the girl back. Raven wasn't too tall, so she stood on tiptoe to reach his shoulder.

\- "You came alone today! I thought your friend was going to be with you always now..." - She smiled while she walked away. Jason took a good look at Raven, Damian sure was missing out on a amazing view that night.

\- "Oh pretty bird, you know that Uncle Jay works alone... Always..."

\- "Yeah..." - She smiled - "Jaybird works alone..."

\- "Always... Uhnn... Hey, are we just standing here?"

\- "No way..." - She opened a huge smile - "Come and get a beer and we'll talk... I need to ask you a few things..."

\- "Okay... But I thought you would do something... Today is Valentine's Day..."

\- "Oh you're early." - She grimaced. - "I decided to take your advice and sing..." - She smiled again as she handed him a bottle. - "I think I can get the couples here to take courage and take some action if I put a little bit of feeling in my voice."

\- "And you a good voice, you know that." - He laughed - So tonight I'm going to see a show of my favorite bird?

\- "No... Tonight I have other plans... When I do, it needs to be special... Maybe you invite your friend..."

\- "You really like him, don't you? I can call him and maybe you can do something to him... Maybe he needs this to stop being such a pain in the ass..." 

\- "I didn't like him, Jay... I'm just saying you can call him next time... Maybe he took some action with Karlla, he seemed to enjoy talking to her that day..." - Jason had to close his mouth when he realized he was leaving her open for longer than allowed.

Was that... _Jealous_?

\- "Oh, is someone jealous of that bastard?"

\- "Oh fuck you Jay..." - She smiled slapping his arm and he returned the smile feeling his chest full of a feeling he almost never felt: peace

Jason didn't know if it was her and, as she said, her gifts, but he always felt in peace when he just talked to her.

And that was weird.

Jason didn't feel in peace with anyone.

Maybe _Roy_, or _Artemis_ or _Bizarro_.

But anyway...

Jason snorted, remembering Roy hurt more than he'd expected even after all this time. And Raven noticed.

Roy had died a long time ago, but to Jason it still hurt... He didn't accept mourning for his friend, he promised he would find the bastard who had done it, but every time he felt himself getting close, he broke his face.

And now another massacre had happened in Moscow and Jason just felt it all coming back. And the Justice League again tried to sort everything out in the base of the conversation. If there was one thing Jason and Damian agreed on, it wasn't working for them to sort things out at the base of the conversation.

\- "Hey, you... I felt something... This wave of... Sadness... Did something happen?"

\- "No... And I don't want to talk about it..." - He shook his head. - "So, what's the schedule today?" Who's the poor guy this week?"

\- "It could be you..." - She laughed, drinking the beer.

\- "Rae, Rae... Don't play with my heart..." - He smiled - "We have... Much to talk about it, by the way..."

\- "I'm not kidding ... But I know what your feelings are towards me... You may even wish me, but you wouldn't do anything... There's another woman in your head and in your heart."

\- "Gee, thanks for the psychic reading ..." - she chuckled.

\- "Jason you are so cute..." - She put one of her arms on his shoulder - "Anyway... How can I help you tonight, Jay?"

\- "I just came to talk to you today..." - He shrugged. - "And celebrate Valentine's Day with a friend ..." Raven smiled at Jason, for some reason he knew she had not bought his excuse.

\- So let's talk ... - she pulled him to sit on one of the sofas while asking the other girl from the bar to have brought him more beers. He saw her talking from a distance with Damian the night they were at the bar. He remembered talking to her too, but a lot was erased from his mind after Raven told him he had a free pass to the bar that night.

\----

Jason didn't see it when the bar filled up with couples, not even when he already started seeing things in slow motion or people chattering around him. Raven was funny, the conversation with her lasted for minutes or hours, he didn't know... He only saw that the table was with at least 10 bottles of beer and a few glasses of tequila. He was getting drunk and still hadn't gotten anything from Raven.

\- "Raven... We need to talk seriously..."

\- "Uhnn... So what do you need to talk about so serious, Jay?"

-"You'll have to explain to me what that kiss was the last time I came here ..." - Raven snorted and looked away.

\- "It was a kiss, that's it..."

\- "And why? You never did this."

\- "I just wanted to..."

\- "And then you disappeared, saying you was going to get a drink? Rae, I may be a guy who seems not to pay attention to things, but I trained with a guy who dresses in a bat suit and literally finds a horn on horse's head if he needs... Why did you kiss me that day?"

\- "Because I wanted to, Todd..." - she grunted, using almost the same tone of voice as Damian.

\- "Jesus Christ, you two are the same..."

\- "What?"

\- "Nothing..." - He cursed himself mentally - "Hmmm... You should be careful..." - He grunted - "There are people who are crazy to trap you in a cage, cute little bird..."

\- "You say like I'm not used to it anymore, Jay... You know that at least once a week there's someone trying to kill me..." - She took a deep breath.

\- "That's why you should be careful..."

\- "This is family affair... I can take care of myself..."

\- "Wait, why is it family affair? Is anyone in your family trying to do something with you? I can help you?"

\- "It's probably my dad or my older brother... But don't worry, they can't find me... I know how to take care of myself ..." - She laughed. - "But why are you telling me this?"

\- "Nothing I just... I hear the streets..."

\- "Of course..." - she murmured and he was not too sure she believed - "Hmmm... Hey, we are without any more drinks here... I'll get more..." - She gave a smile and got up taking the bottles and taking with her and leaving Todd alone. He checked the phone quickly to see if Damian had said anything, but there was nothing.

From what he knew of the boy, he must have been in the same position as when he left the apartment he called as bedroom, his face tucked into a lot of papers and strategies. 

Raven came back bringing more beers and the other girl in the bar came with another tray full of cups, Jason had the feeling that he and Raven had drunk at least one bottle of tequila.

Jason noticed as the girl bent down to put the glasses on the table in a very sensual way for his taste and he didn't complain, the girl was beautiful, if she was free after work.... 

And out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raven analyze his gaze.

\- "You want to fuck her, don't you?"

\- "What? Raven you judge me really badly... And I didn't come here for this today." - he tried to lie, she took a deep breath and turned completely to him.

\- "Give me your hand, Jayson..." - She stretched out one hand, her eyes were purple in color.

\- "What are you talking about?" - 

\- "Just give me your hand... And relax... I'm not going to do anything weird..." - he bit his lip, and reluctantly took her hand. Her eyes flashed that purple tone he always found sinister and he strangely felt that he would speak what she asked for - "So... Jay... You're feeling really tired of hiding things from me, right?" - Raven's musical voice penetrated all his nerves and bones... Her hand held his hand tightly.

\- "What the f-" - with her other hand, Raven covered Todd's mouth.

\- "Shiiiiiii.... No, no... Don't resist... You know you can't, your mind is weak and I can control anyone... Want to see? Again, You want to fuck her, right?"

\- "How do you know that?"

\- "Ease.. Your gaze was filled with lust and I felt... And with a little help." - She swung her free hand quickly and a mass of black energy came up. - "I can feel things, Jason... And I can make people talk what they hold deep in their hearts... I can persuade people... And I know you're hiding things from me. You're hiding simple things like wanting to fuck my friend!"

\- "Are you using this against me? I thought we were friends..."

\- "And we are... But you are hiding something that I need to know, friends don't hide things Jay..."

\- "It's for your own good... I just don't want you to get hurt..."

\- "So tell me! If I need to defend myself, I need to know what it is..."

\- "People who want to take you away, that's it..."

\- "GREAT! Good boy... So... Who are these people, Jason? Who are these people who want to hurt me?"

\- "I-I-I can't say, Rae... I can't say anything about this, I'm sorry..."

\- "Don't resist, Jason... It's worse... It hurts more than the Wonder Woman's lasso... You're going to have a terrible headache if you try to hide it..." - She smiled and waved her free hand again, causing the empty bottle to come out of his hand and a new one appeared in his free hand. Jason was getting drunk and losing his lucidity. 

Raven was dangerous as Damian had warned, but he could care less. Raven was his friend and Damian had made him lie to her, she didn't hurt anyone that didn't deserve, he didn't have to hurt her.

But Damian was like his younger brother and they had a bond before the boy was who he was and fall into this family mess. Damian had trusted him now among all the others and from what he knew of Damian, he was only doing what he thought was right... 

Todd was divided

\- "You don't have to use this, I'm not really going to tell you about it because I don't know much..."

\- "So why are you hiding from me that you know the Al Ghul because you two were Batman's Sidekicks? Did you really think I wasn't going to connect? That you would come here and be like two strangers? Do you think I'm stupid?"

\- "Oh fuck... Rae I c-"

\- "Shut the fuck up, Jayson!" - Jason could have sworn he heard a distortion in her voice. - "Did you two think I wasn't going to find out that you two knew each other? I knew before you even went in here... I wanted to see how far you would go with this." - Her eyes were so dark that Jason began to fear for his life. It was one thing to annoy Damian, he would have to punch him at most, it was another thing to anger Raven... She was someone Jason would rather go through without having to face.

\- "Look... He's like a adopted brother... I didn't live with him while he lived here, our relationship is not one of the strongest... And he's just a guy who went through bad things and trusted in wrong choices... He asked me to pretend we didn't know each other."

\- "What does he want with me? Why does he come after me?"

\- "I don't know... He said something about where he lives and a deal... I said, I don't know much... He just asked me to come here today and I don't even know why he doesn't want to come here." - She took a deep breath, her eyes returning to the old amethyst tone he was accustomed to.

\- "You know I can use it again if I feel you're lying to me again..." 

\- "I have pity for the man who captures your heart... He's going to have a lie detector in the house" - she laughed

\- "That's true... But I don't think about it anytime soon, my heart is a free animal"

\- "Can I have my hand back?"

\- "Uhnn... Not yet... Let me see what else I want to know... Ah! This is an interesting question because you never answer... Who is the woman who inhabits your heart?" - Jason took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. Raven still held his hand in his.

\- "Artemis... Artemis of Bana-Mighdall..."

\- "Oh... That pretty redhead that was with you?" - Jason just nodded - "How cute...!"

\- "But it's not going to happen then, don't get excited... I'm free to join your list..." - Raven laughed.

\- "Oh no... Not yet..."

\- "Why?"

\- "You're a good friend Jason, the best I've had untill today... Even if you're hiding some things from me... Entering my "list" means breaking your heart and losing our friendship... I don't want this... Your heart deserves Artemis, not me..."

Was she talking about Artemis and breaking hearts? Okay, maybe she deserved the pain in ass that was Damian.

Maybe now he even helped Damian.

\- "You're a good guy, Jason... The coolest I've ever met... You don't deserve to be disgraced for what I am... You don't realize it, but you deserve more than you think."

Or maybe he could just send Damian to fuck himself.

If he wasn't already doing this. He thought about sending an SMS to Damian making fun of it...

Jason laughed at the thought that went through his head, of course Damian wouldn't be doing it... Surely the boy preferred to cut off the head of half the city and his own head afterwards than masturbate.

He looked at Raven who was staring at him intrigued that he was laughing alone.

\- "What is funny? You're just laughing alone and I said something sincere!" - She stared at him incredulously with a smile on her lips.

\- "Nothing I just... I was thinking of an inner joke with the bastard of my half-brother-adoptive-idiot... We saw each other very little... Most of the time, we ended up fighting over stupid things... Sometimes he hurt me a lot, sometimes I took all the rage I had of him into him... I'm not proud of that, but that's what siblings are..." - Jason leaned against the couch - "He didn't change anything, continues the damn boy with syndrome of greatness who thinks the world has to obey him..." - She nodded - "I think I wanted to help him because besides seeing an opportunity to screw him, I saw the opportunity to be a brother to him..." - He felt strange, he felt he could talk all his life and everything he felt to her, so he noticed that she was still holding his hand - "Oh Raven, you're fucking me... He can never know that, okay?" - She laughed.

\- "I'm sorry! All right, it's our dirty little secret... I just... I want to know more about him..."

\- "Why?"

\- "Nothing..." - she grumbled - "He's... Complicated..."

\- "He's complicated... And dangerous..." - Raven nodded. - "Rae, you need to stop playing with him... And I'll tell you this without needing your manipulation... I know what you're doing and that's one of the reasons I came here today." - Raven looked at Jason in surprise, then took her hand away.

\- "You know I hate to have to use my powers against you, but you gave me no choice... I needed to know if you had come to kill me... And you were lying to me... So tell me why I have to keep away from the Al Ghul...?"

\- "Because he is dangerous... He has no problem killing someone, it is how he was created... He is a weapon... He has no feelings of resentment and he is dangerous... I know him very well to know that you will not be able to use this power against him... He doesn't settle down until he does what he came to do... He can hurt you..."

\- "And I can hurt him too... I don't care, Jay... I've seen that he can be that whole wall but, there is a gap..."

\- "I know what you did." - Jason was laughing now, remembering Damian in the first night they met. - "You were an mean girl, Rae..."

\- "I know!!!! But the feel is so good..." - She laughed.

\- "You left him... You know... Like that, Rae... That doesn't even do to your worst enemy... This hurts like hell...." - Raven laughed now - "I never saw that boy so... Messy and scared... And he had a girlfriend who had no scruples years ago..."

\- "Oh, has anyone ever inhabited that stone heart?"

\- "Seriously, you're going to call someone of 'stone heart'?"

\- "I recognize someone like me..."

\- "Oh, no... You're not like him, DEFINITELY not... You are fun and full of life and you like to live... And he's serious, boring and he hates this kind of place..." - He laughed. - "That kid's a pain in the ass..."

\- "But he's hot..." - He looked at Raven and she wandered mentally, her eyes were lost at some point. - "And interesting... And smart... And there are those emeralds in his eyes..." - Todd could swear he heard a sigh, but he loved his life too much to suppose that Raven was falling in love with his stupid brother too - "And he strangely smells of vanilla... And a cinnamon skin... And in the name of Satan what are those lips? 

Todd blinked twice, he was stunned again

First, she said in the name of Satan? 

And second, was he actually watching her melt for his brother? It even seemed like she was really falling for him? Was she staring at one point, a silly grin on her lips and drooling over Damian?

Wait, Raven falling for his brother too? 

But she never fell in love...

Like, NEVER...

Todd could feel the Apocalypse coming.

\- "If you fall in love for the spawn, I want to see this marriage..."

\- "Did you say "fall in love"? Ew Todd..." - she grimaced - "No chance of that happening... I'll finish the world first before I fall in love with someone..."

\- "Yeah... I take back what I said... You two are the same..."

\- "What are you saying?"

\- "Nothing..."

\- "Hm..." - Raven bit her lip with a curiosity that Todd already knew. - "So... Has he ever felt anything for anyone?"

\- "Oh... The subject has become my brother now, fine!"- He drank some more. - "To the surprise of the nation, yes... He had a girlfriend when he was 13... They dated until shortly before he left, for two years The girl was beautiful, they worked together, I don't know if they went to that phase of the sex relationship and everything, because they were children and all... But the girl was fire... She started dating another guy shortly after they finished and was a guy from their same team... My little brother spent a few months being the little prince he had to be, he had affairs with some random girls from Gotham high society until he had this watershed that made him go away to this place where he lives today with his mother's madwoman."

\- "I'm not interested in the sex life of your brother Todd... And neither in his life story..." 

\- "Oh my God you two are really scaring me... I totally take back what I said... You two are the same! Seem to be the extension of each other..."

\- "Unless you tell me that he is good in sex, I'm not interested in how much girls he slept with... Or if he slept with anyone... I want to know about him already having felt something for someone... It shows that he has weakness"

\- "Jesus, Raven, I want to clear this probability from my mind now... One thing you have to know about the earth is: Never, N E V E R, ask a brother about how the other brother or any relative of yours about how is his sexual performance.. It's embarrassing... Jesus Christ, I think my nose will bleed just to hear this"

\- "Okay Jason, let's not talk about sex anymore... I just want to know if your brother ever had feelings for someone else..."

\- "Yes, great... Oh... I think so, as I said, we didn't live much, but I vaguely remember Grayson talking about how strange he was and that he thought he had a girlfriend... Shortly afterwards, he introduced the girl to the family in a dinner... But little Robin is like a real door when it comes to feelings... After her, he had some dates, but nothing serious... He always puts the work ahead of relationships..." - Raven looked at Todd with a glint in his eyes. - "You're interested in him, aren't you?"

\- "Not the way you're thinking.. I just want to know his weakness... And maybe, a sexual interest... Don't get the wrong ideas..."

\- "Okay... At least you're sincere about wanting him on top of you... Because if I say something to him about it, a knife is placed on my neck at the same instant..." - Jason drank the rest of the contents of his bottle, already taking another - "Now that I've told you a lot of embarrassing things, can you tell me why you kissed me? If you aren't going to put in your list..." - She took a deep breath and hugged her legs. 

\- "I honestly don't know... Since he came here I have this... conflict... in my head... And he was talking to my bartender in a way that he never spoke to me in these 2 days... I could feel the vibrations and how relaxed he was... And I had a feeling of impulsivity and anger that I don't know where it came from... I just acted..." - She looked at him, resting her cheek on her knee - "I'm sorry for kissing you..." - Jason had his mouth open again... mentally he cursed Damian... Raven was jealous of him and so she kissed Todd... Jason really wanted to go to that hotel and stick a bullet in Damian's face for not noticing it.

\- "It's all right, angel... I... I'm speechless actually..." - He took a deep breath and looked at her. - "You should try to talk to him... You'll see that you have a lot in common if you just... Talk to him..."

\- "Jay... I know he's your brother and everything but I have no intention of take it easy with him... And if he still tries to kill me, I'll have to attack... "- she lifted her head a little to lean her chin on her knees - "And I just haven't done it yet because honestly, he attracted me and a lot... sexually speaking of course..."

\- "Okay... If you say... But I think you should think about it... That bastard is hard head because he doesn't have much tact for feelings and these things..." - She took a deep breath and shrugged.

\- "So he got messed with what I did?"

\- "I shouldn't be telling you this, because he was the one who told me to come here today, but yes, I've never seen him so focused and stunned by a woman... You messed his head, I never saw him like that..." - She opened that illuminating smile again 

\- "Oh... That's good to hear... So he learned to play my way... I can't believe I fell into my own game but I finally figured he'd take some action... Satan knows how much I had to meditate afterwards at home..." - She practically spoke to herself, maybe talking to her own head like she always did.

\- "Wait, did you guys have anything after you disappeared? What a bastard son of a bitch that's why he told me that!"

\- "I don't hide who I am and I leave my inner demon free, although she can never take control... But he messed my head.... She almost took control, I had to spend the day meditating... I hope the spell worked at least..."- She kept ignoring what he was saying.

\- "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about but I think it worked... Wait, spell?" - She finally looked back at him.

\- "Kind of a spell, in fact, I call it a spell for not knowing exactly what to call...... I can persuade people, remember? I can make people dream about it too, mirror my feelings to whomever I want... I already did that, but I didn't remember when... It seems like a past life, I don't know..."

\- "I think it worked... He's really messed up.. He doesn't even want to come here anymore..."

\- "WHAT? He doesn't want to come here? What a son of a bitch! He promised!"

\- "No, he gave an excuse... He said he couldn't come because you have influence over him... He asked me to come and investigate you Rae... Of course I didn't come just for this, I needed to see your version of the story first... That's why I tell you Rae... Stop playing with him... He's not like these guys here... He can kill you if this means success. Even if he wants to fuck you..."

\- "I don't care..." - She leaned against the sofa - "Let him come... I was waiting for that..." - She took a deep breath

\- "He's going to kill me for telling you this... Or I'll kill that spawn first..."

\- "Relax... I know how to solve this... He'll never know that you spoke to me of your own free will... But... This will give you a headache tomorrow...."

\- "What?"

\- "Drink..." - She pointed to the bottles and glasses on the table - "And Jason... I'll record this..." - She laughed.

\- "What are you talking about?"

\- "Just drink..." - she laughed as she turned her attention to a bottle. - "Your friend Al Ghul will never know that you told me all this..."

Jason blindly obeyed his friend. And drank with her almost everything on the table (and more). They didn't touch the subject "Al Ghul" anymore because when he wasn't drinking, Jason was busy with the bar girl, that he didn't remember the name anymore.

Raven was taking care of serving customers while Todd was amused by the other girl. After a few more drinks, Jason was already REALLY drunk, Raven didn't believe that she had persuaded him to wear like cupid with wings and underwear as he shouted "love is in the air" throwing plastic arrows at people. 

She was drunk too, but because of her demonic part, she was able to be aware of what was happening at the bar. And she was aware of when Todd left (dressed in cupid) taking her friend away. Raven could only laugh at the situation.

As the bar emptied and the couple went home to finish their Valentine's Day celebrations, Raven decided to close the bar, clean all and go home. Threw bottles away, cleared the tables, and in the midst of all the mess, Raven found Jason's clothes and his cell phone.

\- "Hmm... Interesting..." - Raven bit her lower lip, controlling the urge to search for something from the boy Al Ghul. It was her friend's phone, and it would be impolite to look, but she was so tempted she couldn't help it.

\- "It's just a look... Nothing much... He'll never know you did this..."

\- "Still wrong..."

\- "You two can stop talking in my head..." - she took a deep breath and looked at his cell phone until her curiosity overcame her.

Raven picked up a beer and unlocked the phone. There were messages with a hotel address, and a name that caught her attention because it was saved along with her name.

Damian... His name was Damian.

She laughed and dialed the number and it wasn't long before another voice, the one that lit every cell in her body answered.

\- _"It's good that you have a good reason to interrupt me, Todd..."_


	10. Chapter 10

After three days of his last meeting with Raven at the bar, Damian decided he wouldn't go back there until he could find a way to not fall into what she did. Todd was right, she messed with him and now, he couldn't get it out of his head anymore. She was an intoxicating drug he needed to get rid of.

He needed to get rid of the influence of her powers, her influence on his being. And the dreams that haunted him in the last 3 nights

Raven was more powerful than he'd imagined, more lethal and dangerous than he'd expected, and with a little more touch and play, she almost made him lose focus. He needed to study her before the next move. Then he left the job of going to the bar for Todd to fulfill with a huge smile on his face. Jason was an idiot and Damian only hoped he wouldn't lose everything because of her. He left Damian's room that day, saying he would get the information Damian needed and for some reason, Damian felt bad about the way he talked about her. And he felt an unmanageable anger when he remembered that Jason kissed her.

And he still had his mother, Talia had made a very threatening call to him earlier and Damian felt more pressured, he needed to finish it fast so he spent the day reading about magicians and black magic to control demons. Something had to be done. Something about him told that he had to know why she had run away and told him that her place was in Gotham, but he had to follow his mission and did his best to push everything he felt to the same place where he learned to save useless feelings... Deep in his mind.

The night had already fallen and it was already dawn, he'd stood up only a few times for a bathe or to go to the bathroom when Damian decided to take a break and eat something when his phone rang, Todd's number popping up on the screen.

\- "It's good that you have a good reason to interrupt me, Todd..." - He picked up the phone with a sigh. Todd had probably been in trouble.

\- "It's not Jay... Jason's with Karlla now... I found his phone lost on the couch..." - The calm, drawn voice spoke on the other side, causing a chill to the back of Damian's neck. Jason couldn't have been distracted so much, he was there to watch her... Not to have sex with her friend. - "So..." - she laughed, the low, husky voice that made Damian move on the chair - "your name is Damian, huh...?! I never imagined you had such a sweet name..."

\- "Did you get the cell phone from an unknown man and call the first number you saw? What kind of crazy are you?"

\- "Watch your mouth, bird..." - he thought to hang up the phone - "We have a deal yet and I noticed that you disappeared after our last... Talk... You need to have some fun." - She sobbed and he realized she was drunk.

\- "I already did this, I went to your bar and did my part..."

\- "Oh... No way... That time wasn't valid... You sat all the time, I had to dance with Jason! You could have done if you'd taken my advice and taken me somewhere..."

\- "So your vision of _'making me have fun'_ is the same as me having sex with you? Is that the point of all this bullshit?"

\- "No... The point is to prove that you are too serious and never had a good time and that's why you want to end my fun... The whole sex thing is just a bonus that will please you as much as me... Have you ever heard about casual sex?..."

\- "I will not discuss my personal life with a crazy, drunk and completely strange on the phone...! Goodbye, Raven..."

\- "By the reaction, probably didn't hear... And hey! I'm not a stranger to you... I remember very well our conversations... And the non-conversations too! Anyway... At least I hope you're enjoying your dreams..." -She laughed on the other end of the line - "And to think I didn't even know if it would work... I'm a little rusty in this spell thing..."

\- "What did you do to me?"

\- "Relax, this will stop..." - She laughed - "Anyway... You didn't fulfill your part in fact, and I already have in mind what we can do..."

\- "You're crazy... Definitely crazy! Who in their right mind picks up the phone from a stranger and call someone unknown?"

\- "Jason isn't a stranger... I know him before I met you, you know damn well this... And well, he forgot his phone and his clothes here while he took my attendant to some cheap motel in a cupid dress..." - Damian covered his face with his hand... He should have foreseen it, Jason was a fool who couldn't help himself without having sex with someone at some point - "I just I went to find some contact from your brothers so I could hand over his belongings and then found your phone with a message here... Do you know how Jason saved his name? _Little Damian (Raven's puppy)_.... Isn't that cute?"

\- "How did you know about my connection to him? How did you find out it was about me?"

\- "Oh Damian... You underestimate me... First, do you think I'm dumb enough to not make the connection between the two troublemakers Robins? I just needed you two to come together here so I could confirm my suspicions. And second, with you, I didn't get much... Your mind is almost a safe... But Jason, tsc... tsc..." - she laughed - "I just I needed a few bottles of beer, some tequila and whiskey and my hands on his face and he opened his beak and sang like a... Let me see... Like a pretty robin..." - She laughed at the bad joke she did. - "Oh dear Satan, this fucking joke thing sucked, shit...."

\- "What did he tell you?" - Damian sighed deeply, he would kill Todd as soon as possible.

\- "Hmmm.. He told me that you have to take me where you live... That he was coming here to investigate for you because you're afraid of what I can do... Oh, he told me of your talk and how he thought it was funny that you feel intimidated by a woman... I scared you, little bird?" - He could swear she was pouting.

\- "In your dreams, witch ..." - He answered harshly. - "What do you want?"

\- "I told you I'm not a witch... Do you remember?" - She laughed, of course he remembered, how could he forget? He kissed her shortly after she told him that. - "I... I have to hand over his things... So... I'm closing the bar in a little while ... You could come here to get... And accompany me to my apartment maybe ..." - she paused the conversation to drink one last sip - "We have much to talk bird boy... You need to explain to me why I have to go away with you and why I called your attention..."

\- "I owe you no explanation, Raven... And why should I get Todd's phone?"

\- "Are you going to leave your half-brother-adopter-idiot without a phone?"

\- "He might as well go back and get it later, from what I know of him, he'll beg to come back..."

\- "I don't know... Maybe he needs his phone... Be a good little brother, he told me so many things about how he feels about you..."

\- "What? Look, I don't know what you're planning but it will not work..."

\- "You play innocent and that's so sweet, Damian Al Ghul... I think it's really cute how you don't seem to understand a flirt... I want YOU to come here... not Jay." - She laughed on the other side. - "Whatever... If you want to talk and have more information about me or anything, like Todd told me that you were so desperate wanting, I'll leave in 10/20 minutes and walk to my apartment... Meet me and we can have coffee... or something stronger if you prefer... Bye bye bird boy... See you soon" - and without waiting for him to answer something, she hung up the phone.

Damian stood staring at the phone, his face burning. He just did not know if it was anger that Todd had told her everything or whether it was anger for now not knowing what to do with the girl knowing everything. Without knowing why, Damian decided to do as the woman told him. The bottom of his mind telling him that he was letting himself be manipulated by her, but he ignored her... Besides, she had said she would tell him something and she was drunk... With luck, he would get some important information or even finish his job and walk away, he had spent all day looking for ways to deal with a demon and all he had accomplished were shallow things that would need a magician, maybe if he pressed a little, she would say something or show what else she could do other than have a bigger ego than the Wayne Enterprises building and be a sexy, beautiful woman. He got up from the bed and changed his clothes ignoring that annoying voice that told him that he just wanted to go to see her and because of the probability of stopping at her apartment in some way. He would go after her as she had said, but then he would beat Todd...

Damian hailed a cab and hurried to the bar. The neon "Pride" was now with the lights off, the street was just a few drunks and beggars and the woman he recognized quickly, wearing a black dress glued to her body, black socks, a leather jacket and the same boots on her feet and horns on her head , she was leaning against the wall with a beer bottle in her hand, looking up at the sky, but clearly waiting for it.

\- "You came, bird boy..." - Her voice trailed off as she grinned.

\- "I came to pick up Todd's stuff , don't think it was for another reason..." - He reached for the receiver.

\- "Of course..." - She smiled moving away from the wall - "Hey let's walk a little, don't think I'll give things to you with ease this way..."

\- "Don't play with me, girl... I came to pick up Todd's things, not take you home." - she shrugged and smiled.

\- "Stop being so annoying, let's just talk... I want to know more about you and you need to know things about me... I promise to try to control myself and not induce you to sin..."

\- "Don't induce me to sin..." - Damian repeated covering his face with both hands - "Or do you mean to end my nights of sleep by pure joke and make me leave my room 3:00 AM?"

\- "Oh, no... You know what sin I'm talking about..." - She bit her lip - "Look, I'm not going to do anything you don't wanna do... Free-will is one of the basic rules of what I am... I just think we could have a moment of peace... Jason told me that we should just try to talk and that's all I'm trying to do..." - She took a deep breath, pausing in front of him, holding the paper bag with Jason's things extended to him - "If you don't want to talk, here are his things..." - Damian crossed his arms over his chest, mentally wondering why the hell he couldn't deny her anything. That was the kind of thing he wanted to avoid when he saw her: He couldn't deny her anything, not even a stupid walk, running the risk of meeting a guy dressed as a bat in the city. 

His mother was right, he was attracted to her as a bee in honey.

\- "Wait..." - He closed his eyes and let the air out - "Okay, let's... Walk... Or whatever it is..." - She opened a big smile, the most beautiful that you had ever seen, to be honest... - "But I have conditions... You will take away whatever you did with my sleep... And you will fulfill what you promised... Just a walk, without silly games of interest... I'm not going to fall for it."

\- "About the dreams, it will pass... I don't know when, but the... effect will pass... Maybe tonight you can sleep without dreaming that you are fucking me, but if it makes you feel better, we are in equals now... I had to meditate all day the last time... I'll fill your ego, but, you messed up a lot with my mind..." 

\- "I have no choice but to accept this... But no games... And you will not seduce me like you always do"

\- "Look, I'll try, okay? I said I can try..." - She bit her lower lip, pulling the paper bag back to her body. - "I might say some joke or something, but I promise I'll try not to seduce you... at least today... Just walk... Deal?

\- "Deal..." - She smiled again.

\- "So... Damian Al Ghul... Right?" - She started to walk holding his hand forcing him to follow her. - "I thought you had a less... western name... I liked..."

\- "Do you have any explanation for your name being Raven?"

\- "Just a silly trick I do... No big deal..." - She shrugged, Damian trying to ignore the electricity that passed to him as his hands held hers. - "Hey... How old are you?" - She looked at him, her eyes with a curiosity he had never seen before.

\- "23... And you have 24 right?"

\- "I think so, by my accounts... The time in hell is different from the time on earth, but I tried to keep the habits of birthday since I was 6 years old...... 23 years or 24 in hell can seem like an eternity or even a second... But I was able to keep up with my age because of my human body... It ages like any human in its own time" - She shrugged. -"Hey, you really know about me! I feel important now..."

\- "Don't get excited, it wasn't because of what you are thinking... I told you that you are my mission, I need to study my opponent before attacking... Prepare strategy and be prepared..."

\- "I believe that this mission has to be with my dad, but I am also sure that you will not tell me what it is..."

\- "I need to make sure you're not disappearing tomorrow... not when I took time to track you down..."

\- "So serious and so... wow!"

\- "Wow?"

\- "Yes, wow... Don't get me wrong, but how in hell are you single? You are handsome, rich and elegant, your kiss is so good, by the way... And you have this strong personality and look, you're hot!" - He rolled his eyes with a laugh. She was drunk, when you are drunk you don't have much control of what you say.

\- "You're also single... Todd told me that you never got involved with someone despite having a few affairs..." - She licked her lower lip

\- "I wasn't born for relationships... Not yet..." - Her smile brightened. - "Oh dear you always talk about me? I think we have someone really interested in a certain sin with legs."

\- "Raven..." - She laughed 

\- "Okay, sorry... Joking..." - Damian noticed that she still carried a bottle of beer and that from time to time she would shake it with her and drink a sip. And that she did it very gracefully even to someone drunk. - "You know what? I never understood why you are so nervous and serious... Always this low tone imposing itself, as if giving me orders... I think this is sexy and It's even fun to make you more nervous..."

\- "I don't get nervous..."

\- "Damian, you do... You're always talking to me like this ... Since the first one we met... Always controlling to the maximum... You know I can feel the things of anyone... I just I don't know why you're so nervous about me..."

\- "You talk like I have no reason to be nervous about you..."

\- "And you haven't... I've never seen you before that day, I never got into trouble with the Al Ghul shit... To tell you the truth, I've never even been where you hide... My dad had things with you, not me..."

\- "Hmmm let me see if I have no motives... 1st you made me lose several soldiers, then you made me come to this city, then you make me go back to work with a member of my family who has the brain of a gorilla because guess what? You were gone with almost all my soldiers there at the beginning and now, in addition you getting involved with my stupidest brother and get toying with me and finding it amusing to waste my time... So yes Raven, I have reason to be nervous with you..."

\- "You came to kill me then? Just like your guys..." - He could almost feel a tone of disappointment in her voice.

\- "No..." - he said sharply. - "I have orders to take you alive... But I confess that I have to control myself to not to kill you every time I remember that you're making me stay here one more time in Gotham..." - Raven laughed and her laughter strangely calmed him.

\- "Oh little bird... You don't want to kill me... No... I know that ... And I don't want to kill you either... So you could have just told me from the beginning that your men were important so I could bring some back from the other dimensions... Oh... No, it's a lie, it wouldn't be a good vision..." - she shook her head - "But still I think we can come to an agreement without fighting.." - She grinned again.

If you had met in another situation you could even...

Focus Damian... Don't think...

\- "Raven, I gave you a list of reasons to hate you and could give you one more... Do you really think I don't want to kill you?" - She shook her head.

\- "Oh you know my name! And I needed Todd to know yours, what bad manners, Mr. Damian Al Ghul..." - She laughed 

\- "First, you didn't need to know, and second, I didn't know your name either... I needed Todd to know too"

\- "Anyway... Yes, I don't think you want to kill me.... And answering his list of reasons: First, you sent men to kill me , what did you expect me to do? Second, Todd is a great guy... He told me everything but he always asked me to stop fucking with your head because you were his little brother..." - He looked at her, had Todd said that about him? Unbelievable! - And 3rd, I didn't get involved with him... It was just a kiss..." - Damian strangely felt... better? - and finally, I find you a fun game... Kind of a magical cube... Of that extremely complicated... You make the game more interesting for both mine, let's say, sides..."

\- "Am I a game to you?" - He meant it. - "Is all this a child's play for you?"

\- "You did this bird boy... You and your kind of extremely sexy bad guy and dangerous man... My demonic side could smell the blood and death coming from far in you ... My human side would love to be able to live a forbidden romance of books with you... It is the first time that my mind comes to an agreement about someone so well..."

\- "Oh shut up..." - He grunted with a grimace, but deep in his being, he felt a pang of pride. She was filling his ego and he honestly didn't know if it was some game of hers

\- "There's the serious guy again..." - she signaled with her hand and drank some more of the beer. - "Talking about serious things... You know, I said, your mind is a strong safe as a deep ocean that I can't navigate, but I still managed some things that were on the surface... And... I know you need to take me because you need to prove to someone there that you can command... But I think deep down you want to prove more to yourself. Something broke you here in this city and you don't trust you anymore."

\- "Is this a therapy session? Because I'm not in my best mood for this..."

\- "No... I'm just talking to a potential friend..." - she gave him a friendly smile - "And maybe something else, if you want..."

\- "You don't know the meaning of shutting up, do you?" - Damian said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Deep down, really deep down, he was enjoying being able to talk to her. 

More than he'd imagined liking.

\- "Okay... Okay... Sorry... Old habit... I will not try to flirt with you anymore... Not while we're talking ... But I'll be honest, it's something I can't help ... I guess demons can't lie..."

\- "I think I can take it..."

\- "You know, you're in your twenties, you should behave like a boy in his twenties..."

\- "We already had this conversation... You already convinced me to make a deal..."

\- "And yet, you ran away... Wait! You ran away from a deal with a demon, that has consequences..."

\- "Oh... Are you threatening me now?"

\- "More or less... I could shake my hand and make you take the good news to my dad personally, but I don't want... Todd told me that you hate to go out and dance, right...?"

\- "What are you planning?"

\- "And this will be your punishment, you're going out to dance!..."

\- "Go out to dance? Do you want to punish me by taking me to dance? Unbelievable..."

\- "Do something you really hate, in fact"

\- "There are other things I hate to do, why did you choose to dance?"

\- "Because it's something I find fun... And because I want you go out and a have a good time, bird boy... Without this subject to arrest me or Robin or all this shit... Only you being a boy and i being a girl... Have you never thought of that?" - Damian took a deep breath, remembering the dream. It was obvious that it had already passed, he just wouldn't admit it.

\- "This is not punishment... You're just making me do my part in the deal..."

\- "Oh no no no, you don't get it... You're going out to have fun without being the deal, if you hadn't run away and hadn't told Jay you wouldn't come here, it would just be one fun night, but how did you try to break a deal with a demon, it's going to be two nights... You're gonna hate to have tried to make a fool of me, bird boy..."

\- "Don't mind, I already hate it." - He was really hating, but he didn't understand why he just could not say "no" to her. Somewhere, that voice that always spoke to stupid things said he was enjoying it.... And somewhere in his chest, it really was enjoying.

\- "YES!!!! Now we're talking! Two nights of fun for the daughter of darkness and for the demon's head..." - she raised her arms and hung one on his shoulder..

\- "Why? Why are you doing this? I don't understand where you want to go with this..."

\- "Because I said, the point of all this is to make you see that first: I'm not doing anything wrong here, just having fun and second, that you are like this because you never had fun like someone our age... I saw how you feel responsible for everything and you shouldn't be like this... You should carry all this anger and hate inside you... You definitely shouldn't be like this..." - He looked down, being hit in full with her sincerity. He had matured really early, had never had time to be just a boy... 

First, heir to Ra's, then heir to Batman and consequently a hero and heir to the Wayne Empire and now, the new Ra's and leader of a league of assassins and being charged daily by everyone around him. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders all the time. And he felt hatred of the world for this.

They remained silent for a while, the girl occasionally drinking the rest of the contents of the bottle she carried or just staring at old Gotham's building.

Until Damian decided to speak

\- "I have a commitment and I need to be a leader that they need me to be... And if I want to have the respect of my commanders, I need to impose myself as such... You are the mission that will ensure that I have this respect... A mission that I have only two options, take it or die trying... If I don't comply, I will be seen as incapable... An incapable deserter... And my own mother will make sure I'm dead.." - The two of them took a deep breath without looking at each other for a while.

Raven looked thoughtful, her eyes looking away as she bit her lip. Maybe she was measuring the sincerity in Damian's words.

\- "That is... sad..." - She grimaced.

\- "No matter, I was born for this, I was brought up for it..." - He shrugged.

\- "I was born for something too, but I will not follow a destiny that I don't want simply because I was told that I should... I wanted to prove things before, to know the earth, to discover who I was first... I'm really young to be ruler of the underworld, my brothers can do it, my dad can do it... I'm fine, being just the Gotham witch girl... You should think the same about yourself..."

\- "I'm going to survive, commanding is the only thing I know how to do and the only thing I want to do... I just need to stop falling into your jokes and fulfill what I came to do" - She laughed 

\- "Nah... You'll have time for this, it's our deal, right?"

\- "You're also just a young girl and you shouldn't be like that..." - He pointed at her and she laughed.

\- "Like...?"

\- "That femme-fatale pose... And play feminist heroine role..." - She burst out laughing, her head falling back.

\- "Uhnn... I like to be like this, it's just fun to have the nervous guys in my hand... The harder, the more exciting..." - She looked at him and he rolled his eyes making her laugh again - "Okay, I stopped... Uhnn... About the femme-fatale, hmm it's instinctively... Some good years in hell, practically all of your puberty does it to you... I've learned not to control and not silence who I am... So this 'femme- fatale part' is just a manifestation of my demonic side... And I like it, seriously, it's fun... About playing the feminist heroine role... Uhnn, no... I don't want to be heroine, everything has to be right and be nice... - She grimaced. - I just... Don't I like that a woman's right to free will is disrespected... And the police don't do anything about it, so I have the power to do... Why not?"

\- "Why? It doesn't make sense, you don't have to be like this... You don't owe the world anything." - She bit her lip.

\- "Do you know the first thing that happened to me when I stepped here on earth?" - She looked at Damian waiting for the answer and he just shook his head in denial - "I was almost abused... I asked for help from someone, a guy... I was naive and I was so tired and hungry... He tried and I almost killed him and almost lost control of my inner demon... If I had given her complete control, there would be a killing... She's thirsty for war and for death... She feeds on it, so I wouldn't stop at just this guy... I would kill anyone who would appear in front of me..." - She took a deep breath. - "So I almost lost control with this guy... I was with so much anger, with so much pain... That I almost finished with my only chance to do what I had decided to do when I ran away... Luckily I managed to get back and make the guy really help me..." - He felt another punch in his stomach, Todd had told him something like that, but to hear from her was... Hard... - Obviously it wasn't the first time that the girl I was, was harassed, touched without permission and went through that kind of shit... I had to learn to impose myself and thanks to Satan, literally speaking, I had a person to teach me how to defend myself before the worst happened..."

\- "What happened to the guy?"

\- "Uhnn... A few weeks later, when I had control of my parts and lived in harmony with her, I found this guy again and he was going after other girls again... So I killed him, it was the first soul that I sent straight to hell... First? I felt horrible... I felt like the worst person in the world... A real piece of shit... But after talking to someone who was like me, I felt... Better... I know people deserve second chances and all, but... I just can't stand this kind of justice in which lives are destroyed and one only receives as punishment some months locked in a room, hoping that the divine justice does something and then it comes out and does the same thing over and over and over again... They're breaking the first rule of who I am!" - He could feel the anger in her voice... Almost so solid it could be cut with a knife.

\- "I don't think you should feel bad... It's something you believe you're doing right..." - He finally said - "How did you end up in Gotham?"

\- "So I got a... loan... And I discovered that things were much worse here in Gotham... I came to here and I decided to try to do something... The witch that seduces men to her lair..." - she laughed at her own life - "BULLSHIT! I didn't seduce anyone..." - she laughed - "Maybe some... Those that interested me, like you..." - She laughed looking at him and he rolled his eyes again.

\- "What do you do?"

\- "Uhnn ... I convince them... I put in their minds basically what I want them to do... And they do..." - She shrugged. - "I make them taste their own poison , lose their freedom and their right to choose, and then I kill them and send them to hell..."

\- "Everybody do?"

\- "Most... Some try to kill me, some are psychically stronger... So I fight... And then, I have the help from my other side ... She is hungry for blood, these things, you know... And my brothers like the gift I give them as a way of thanking me for helping to erase my trace..."

\- "You're being a hero one way or the other, Raven ..."

\- "No... I just keep other girls from going through the fear I've been through... I don't save the human race nor do I want to be recognized for it... I just convince them to come in and do what I want while I have a little fun in this dimension. After I get bored, then I follow my dad's plans to command the underworld and I end up with this shit..." - she stretched to throw the bottle in a bin - "I think in the end, boy bird, we're both the same... We both have to impose ourselves to get our respect... But each one of its way... You with violence, me with my gifts that my dear dad gave me... Fuck you dad!" - she hummed, pointing her two middle fingers to the floor.

\- "In the end, the ends justify the means..."

\- "Oh, did you agree with me, kiddo? For the first time?" - Damian could not help but giggle. She looked at him in surprise. - "Oh, I really must be drunk... Did you agree with me and laugh? I think for the first time in the history of hell, a demon got drunk..."

\- "Oh shut up, Raven..."

\- "No, I'm not drunk... It's all normal..." - She took a deep breath - "You have a beautiful smile... There is a dimple in the corner... One more item to list..."

\- "List?"

\- "Yeah, the wow list." - She laughed.

\- "Oh you're back to this..."

\- "Yeah...!" - She laughed biting the corner of her mouth and they were silent for a few seconds.

\- "Gotham needed someone to do what you do... Although I think this shit has no hope at all..."

\- "Oh... A Robin who lost hope in his own town?"

\- "It's not my town... And I'm not Robin..."

\- "I suppose you will not tell me why you left here... Jay told me that you were a guy who trusted the wrong choices..."

\- "Jason's an idiot who can't keep silent..."

\- "You don't mean it, I know you like him more than you admit... He's a brother to you, you just don't admit it because you're proud just like me..."

\- "Are you trying to get into my head again?"

\- "No... I just feel it..." - She shrugged. 

They stopped in front of a red brick building. Raven smiled, folding her arms.

\- "Well, you're home, Todd's idiot stuff, please.." - She giggled, handing the paper bag over to him. Damian caught him, his fingers touching and a strange electricity passing from her to him again.

\- "Doesn't want to come in? I can make coffee... I think I'm going to have a terrible hangover tomorrow..."

\- "Are you inviting a man you don't know and who said that sometimes he wants to kill you to get into your house?"

\- "I already told you Damian, you don't want to kill me... I feel this..." - She smiled. - "And you're not a stranger, I just called you a potential friend or something more..." - She took the keys from the bag with a certain difficulty of keeping balanced. - "Besides, the elevator is broken and I need help getting up the stairs."

\- "You're unbelievable..." - He snorted, taking the keys from her hands and opening them for her to enter.

\- "Oh... I am..." - She laughed - "I'm sure..."

\- "I'm going to leave you in your apartment and I'm leaving... I'm not your friend, you know that..."

\- "Boring..." - She grimaced as she gripped the man's arm that now helped her up the steps. - "I could use a portal and teleport directly to my bed, but I'm so exhausted that the stairs look like a good option. now... Though things are spinning a bit..."

\- "You shouldn't get drunk this way... You become an easy prey when alcohol controls your body."

\- "I don't get drunk, I told you... I have total control of my useless human body... But my human side receives all the load so I'm just physically dizzy, but I can see and be aware of everything happens to me around... Besides what would be the joy of life if I can get too drunk 1 time?" - She laughed, leaning her head against Damian's shoulder in a tender way, the same electricity passing through them again. - "You're cute, Damian Al Ghul... When you're not acting like an annoying asshole..." - she muttered Damian decided to ignore the feeling and just lead her to a door on the fourth floor. She took the key again and with more difficulty than usual and unlocked the door. - "A real gentleman..."

\- "Coming from the princess of the underworld..."

\- "I'm not a princess...."

\- "Uhnn... You are..." - She smiled

\- "So you're a prince too... An Arab prince..."

\- "No, I'm not..." - He took a deep breath as he saw every detail of her smile while she leaned against the door - "Drink water before bed... It'll help with the hangover...

\- "Come in... Please..." - she murmured, her eyes pleading shining an almost pink amethyst.

_"You're falling..."_

His mother's voice whispered in the back of his mind as he stared at the girl who now stands propped up at the door.

\- "Do you need any help for anything else?"

\- "I could say I need help getting my clothes off, but I will not do it, no kidding for today..." - she said with a laugh.

\- "Good, then I'm leaving... I think tomorrow we can go back to normal programming where you don't call me and I don't have to pick you up drunk in your bar..."

\- "Oh... No... No way... You have a punishment to pay, Damian Al Ghul... From tomorrow you will go out to dance and I have a great place for this... Come tomorrow for around 11:00 p.m. Then you'll still do your part in the deal and have some fun... Two nights, remember?"

\- "I shouldn't have asked..." - He snorted as Raven stepped out of position and held the door to keep from falling. - "Okay, but after that, either you fight me, or you come away with me..."

\- "Uhnn..." - She smiled - "Okay... Deal..." - She smiled and held out her hand for Damian to squeeze. They stood for what seemed to be an eternity there, holding each other's hands. Damian's mind tried to process the information of what was happening. There were so many feelings, so many emotions that he could swear he was getting a little dizzy.

\- "Okay... Hmm... Till tomorrow then demon girl..." - Raven opened a huge smile for him, showing all her whites and perfect teeth. Damian without noticing, caught every detail of her face and while he put everything in his mind, he was surprised by soft, warm lips against his. Fine arms around his neck and a small but strong body against his body. His mind went into instantaneous combustion along with his heart in his chest.

But it was fast, and before he got used to it and returned the kiss, she pushed it away, leaving him unresponsive.

\- "Happy Valentine's Day, boy wonder..." - She murmured, her eyes were on his lips. She smiled biting her lip, her arms still around his neck.

Damian was frozen, all his systems had stopped. His brain felt like it had made a mistake and couldn't process any action.

He couldn't remember how much he wanted those lips against his, those arms wrapped around him, and that vanilla taste and cheap drink he always felt when he kissed her. Now he remembered and he didn't want just a quick touch of lips... 

She walked to the door again, only to be surprised at Damian pulling her back by the arm and giving another kiss. One that surprised even him. 

He was holding her waist and at the same time, pulling her to him, sliding to her back, drawing the curve of her waist as if he were modeling her body as his lips slid down her chin, down to her jaw, neck and back to her lips, pushing her against the wall while her cold fingers danced at the back of his neck, while he asked for entrance to her lips, enjoying every essence of her, letting himself get high on her scents.  
When they were out of breath, she pulled away, biting his lip. 

Damian felt... lost... But strangely proud to see her with swollen lips.

It was the first time he took the action and he didn't feel bad about it. In fact, he wanted to do it again... just kiss her again and again. This time, he couldn't blame his actions on the things she did... He pulled back, leaning against the railing, facing her.

\- "No... Don't... Don't say anything..." - she laughed, her arms folded across her chest. 

\- "The offer to come in is still open..."

\- "No... I... You need to rest... And... I need to go... Good night Raven..."

\- "Okay..." - She smiled as she dragged herself toward the door. - "Good night, boy bird... Thank you for the conversation..." - With that smile on her lips again, she closed the door, leaving a Damian paralyzed looking at what had happened.

Something had happened to him and he had to seriously find out what it was.


	11. Chapter 11

_ **Jason Todd** _

Jason woke up with a fucking headache the other day, in a room that wasn't his and only with sheets around his waist. He vaguely remembered going to talk to Raven, and because of her powers, told him everything about Damian. And now he remembered leaving everything behind, including his clothes.

He leaned his elbows around, was in someone's room, clothes were tossed around, and a mess of bottles were everywhere, but his side of the bed was empty. As he tried to get used to the light of day, Jason grunted.

\- "I'm never going to drink anything that the demon gives me..." - he muttered, covering his eyes with his hand. A strong coffee scent invaded his nose, making him wake up to what was happening.

_He went to someone's house.  
He slept with this someone.  
He fucked someone.  
And that someone had coffee!_

As if a spark had fallen on his brain, he stood up looking for something to wear that wasn't just the bed sheet. Find his underwear and... Angel wings? For some reason, he didn't want to know what those wings meant. Jason dressed with the one-piece-of-clothing there to go after the scent that attracted him.

_The wonderful smell of fresh coffee._

Jason staggered to the door until he reached a room that looked like a kitchen-room where a blond-haired woman trapped in a high ponytail and just wearing a lingerie preparing a breakfast in a mini-stand.

Todd thought he might have died and had come to heaven... Or hell... Where in his best dreams would he agree with that vision?

_To be better, only if it were Artemis..._

He snorted, pulling that thought out of his head, he already had a headache, he did not need another.

\- "Good morning, sleeping beauty..." - The woman grunted without looking at him. - "I was beginning to worry about you erasing like that..."

\- "Uhnn... Good morning?"

\- "You don't remember anything about yesterday, do you?" - She laughed - "Come, have a coffee that will help... After drinking that much of thing is to be expected that you are confused ... And still had the powers of Raven..."

\- "Look, angel, it's not for nothing, but I wanted to know where my clothes are..." - Jason grunted as he sat down on one of the benches. - "I don't remember what happened after Raven said I had to drink..."

\- "Hmm... You left in the bar, along with everything you had taken... You just came out in this underwear, an angel wing and the keys of your motorcycle."

\- "MY MOTORCYCLE!" - He shouted suddenly getting up from the seat and running to the door until he remembered that he was only in his underwear, despair taking care of his being, nothing good could have happened to his bike in the state he was about to forget what he had done.

\- "Relax, I brought her safely... Your brother came to get her here earlier today and left a bag of clothes there..." - He stopped suddenly, looking where the woman was pointing. A paper bag was neatly pressed against the couch.

Jason ran up to it and saw his clothes from the previous night folded carefully and his phone in the middle of them.

_Damian had taken his clothes over there  
Damian had gone to the bar  
Damian had probably found who he didn't want to find  
Jason was really fucked._

\- "Did he say anything?" - He grunted as he dressed in his clothes. That demon wasn't so bad.

Or maybe he just thought humiliation was not the worst kind of revenge on him... What would make things worse.

\- "Nothing important, just told you to see the message on your phone..." - Jason flipped the paper bag over and picked up the phone by turning the messages that had come until a chill ran up his spine.

_"Meet me today. Bring the key of your bike"_

Jason took a deep breath, from the coolness of the message, he was very fucked up. It was probably his last day in the living world, and he'd probably get to the hotel and have 320 soldiers of his _half-brother-ass-idiot-assassin_ waiting for his neck.

So that everything would fuck, he would have a breakfast (_he rarely had time for that_) and then he would go to Damian to accept his end. If only he had a gun...

He would go home to get a gun, if that bastard thinks he would just surrender, he was really much mistaken.

\- "Hey, Jay... Are you going to have coffee or are you staring at nothing?" - The woman grunted as coldly as Raven could be. Was she a demon, too? Jason didn't want to know.

He sat down on the bench again, picking up the coffee cup again. She was beautiful, had eyes in a strange shade of blue pool, and two huge scar on her back, similar to cuts. They were silent just enjoying their coffees for a while until she decided to break the silence.

\- "Do you think they have feelings for each other?"

\- "Hmm??" - It took Jason a few seconds to figure out what she was talking about - "Raven and the little shit? I don't know... I can't think of this union without thinking about Apocalypse..."

\- "They have chemistry... And she was already interested in him before he even entered the bar... She told me that there was someone with a unusual aura nearby that she needed to know..." - she grunted. "In my view, they have something bigger between them... There is a sexual tension, there is the desire, but there is something more... This is me, Karlla whom I am saying... Not Miniel..."

\- "Who is _Miniel_?"

\- "It's me, or it was who I was supposed to be..."

\- "Wait, what?" - Jason almost spit the coffee.

\- "Creeped out?? Pleasure, I'm Miniel... Or used to be..." - She smiled, Jason blinked a few times, angels had the name finished in El right? Except Superman but that wasn't the case now.

"Wait, are you a being on the other side too?"

\- "Surprise! I used to be Miniel, an angel who induces love... Almost your costume of yesterday" - she laughed - "But I'm not anymore... Now I'm just Karlla, a bartender whose mission is to protect Raven on request the lord himself from the underworld..."

Jason had the feeling that his mouth was like a fish at that moment. If before God wasn't going to pity his soul, now that he had slept with an angel he was completely fucked.

\- Are you serious? Are you a fucking angel? An angel of love?

\- "Uhnn... No... I'm a FALLEN angel..." - She she grimaced - "I wasn't the angel of love itself, just induced the love in the humans that were needed... Today no more... But I can feel the things... And between those two have a sprout of a feeling struggling to come to life in their stone hearts...

The feeling Jason had was that a truck had passed through his head.

Several times.

Why the hell couldn't he get involved with a normal woman? First the daughter of a mercenary, then an Amazon and now a fallen angel? Jason was beginning to think that something very wrong had happened to his head.

\- "I think I need air... A lot of information" - She laughed

\- "Scream helps..." - She chuckled out of the kitchen and left him with his head turned upside down. It took Jason a few minutes (maybe hours) to digest everything. And then when he gave up his head to digest it all he just decided to pretend he hadn't had that information and they decided to talk about a lot of things, especially about getting Raven and Damian to get close. Both were sure there was something for both of them and Jason called himself _"Team bird-demon-shit."_

They would be their cupid and Jason was loving the idea of being able to irritate Damian and make him give up doing something (bad) with Raven. That boy needed a sexy, strong woman next to him to stop being annoying.

If Damian didn't try to kill him.

In the middle of the afternoon, Jason decided to leave and see what the hell Damian wanted with him. He went home first to a shower and got a gun, and then went to the hotel where he found Damian strangely calm reading a book while drinking tea.

Jason stood at the door for about 20 minutes waiting for Damian to take some action.

Nothing.

\- "Uhnn... Did I miss something or did you call me here to play with my face?"

\- "Shut up Todd... I'm thinking about what I'm going to do to you for fucking the whole mission opening your big mouth to Raven and making me have to get your things..."

\- "She used her powers, I had no choice..."

\- "I know, she said..." - Damian mumbled without moving. "But I think I'm going to save your life today because at least she told me interesting things about her life... And she removed the spell she'd placed in me..."

\- "Oh... Did you guys talk? Wait, what spell?"

\- "Yes, and it's none of your business, Todd."

\- "I've got some information too... Did you know that girl at the bar is an angel? Technically fallen, but it's there to protect Raven..."

\- "She told me about it" - Damian growled. "But I don't see how she can be an obstacle..." - Jason just shrugged, his brother didn't need to know the whole love thing Miniel was involved for, knowing Damian he would start doing a lot of paranoid theories about being under the powers of Miniel instead of assuming he wanted Raven.

_And wait, why was he so calm?_

Todd was almost sure what had happened to the alleged conversation with Raven the night before. And he couldn't help but smile at the thought of what might have happened.

\- "Did you get the key to your bike?" - Damian finally grunted at Todd.

\- "Uhnn... This part I didn't understand very well, but yes, she's always with me... Why?"

\- "As a punishment for making me go after your stuff yesterday, you're going to leave me with your bike today..."

\- "What??? Did you fall and hit your head on the curb?"

\- "I'm not joking Todd, because of you I'm going to have to go to a stupid place with Raven today and I'm not in the mood for struggling to get a cab... How you fucked up the whole process yesterday and made me have to go out with her today, your punishment is going to be letting me use your motorcycle..."

\- "A lot of information, wait a minute... Are you going out with Raven? Is this a date? AH THAT'S MY BOY! THAT'S MY LITTLE BROTHER!"

\- "Stop stupid, Todd... It's not a date..."

\- "Are you going out together?"

\- "Yeah, bu-"

\- "Are you going to get her at her house?"

\- "Yes, b-"

\- "Are you going somewhere likely to spend the night together and dance and eat and drink?"

\- "Todd, what are you talking about?"

\- "This is a date, Damian..." He chuckled as he watched Damian's face shift to what looked like a fish out of water - "If this is a date, then take it..." - He threw the bike key at him, part of him shouting not to do it - "But one scratch and you're dead... Come on, tell me what are you planning to wear ? Where will you go? I'll help you become a handsome guy who'll make Raven lose her mind and beg for you to fuck her...

Damian took a deep breath, letting the book fall on his face and regretting telling him about going out with Raven to Todd.  
_______________________________________________________

_ **Raven** _

Raven woke up with a lot of headache. She had a faint memory of what she had drunk with Jason and reminded herself not to repeat the dose again, she needed to remind herself that even though she was a demon, she still had a human part living inside her, and that part human felt pain...

_And pain, it's said by hangover mainly._

She looked at her own body, was still dressed and still wore yesterday's clothes, the same black dress, black socks and still shoe.

\- "Good thing this kid didn't sleep with you, it would not be cool to fall asleep in the middle of the whole thing... Although I doubt very much that you would sleep and I'm sure that the pains that you would have today weren't headaches..." - she muttered to herself.

She rubbed her eyes and with a greater effort than was usually necessary, Raven stood up and crawled into the bathroom, a shower, an aspirin, a strong coffee, and her powers might help. As she let the water fall on her back, she remembered the night before...

It had been Valentine's Day, she had a good conversation with Jason and after Jason left and eventually forgot his phone, she called the boy Al Ghul... He went to the bar, accompanied her home, they talked about their lives and again they kissed...

They kissed...

Wait, they _k i s s e d_

A long, intense, biting and breath-taking kiss.

And he who had made the move, he had pulled her by the arm because he wanted, he was n't drunk, she hadn't used her powers in him... He wanted to kiss her.

He wanted to kiss her.

He _**wanted**_ to kiss her?

She tried to go over everything that had happened in her head, ignoring the headache. She hadn't done anything, this time was sure of it... She just gave him a little kiss and he pulled her into a deep kiss and she felt like a melted butter in his arms. She felt like a melted butter now...

Why did she feel that way? What strange sensation was the one that lit from within here chest? And they'd been honest with each other and that was... _Good?_

And wait, she admitted to Jason that she acted on impulse when she kissed him? Why did she feel fragile in admitting it to Jason? What should he be thinking now? That she was in love with his brother?

Was she falling for him?

No...

She didn't fall in love...

It was only a moment of weakness, it was only because this kid was playing with her ego, nothing more...

Raven felt her heart race as she remembered that he smiled... The first time he gave her a sincere smile and was...

Beautiful? No, that was little to describe.

Hot? No, he was all hot, but the smile had something more.

Special? Maybe, he hadn't smiled at all for what she had said and that smile was...

Breathtaking...

His smile was breathtaking and honest, and beautiful, and hot and special, it resonated on each of her bones.

He had a dimple at the corner of his mouth and his eyes closed a little. Raven felt she could live with it easily.

_Wait, what was she saying?_

_Couldn't she be...? Could?_

Again she felt like melted butter as she remembered the sincere-with-perfect-teeth-smile and the sound his smile had. It had become her new favorite sound.

Raven shook her head, letting the water fall on her face. Trying to erase it from her mind and focus on what she had to do. She had convinced him to go out with her twice, were two chances to be able to discover his greatest weakness and then, end it.

And now she had names... What was his name? _Daniel_? _D_...? _Damian!_

His name was _Damian_... He really had a cute name that matched the strong personality he had. Raven liked that. She laughed to herself like a fool in the bathroom as she put her fingertips on either side of her head and let her magic heal her headache. By the time the bath was over, she was feeling much better, and she probably didn't even need aspirin or coffee. Raven hated drinking coffee, whenever she could, eventually opting for her daily morning tea.

Whenever you could say hangover especially again.

As she ate, Raven remembered that she had persuaded him to go out with her that night. Raven snorted remembering that she didn't want to face another hangover the other day, but the idea of going out with Damian and getting him distracted and then punishing him for trying to kill her almost lit a red in her eyes. It was the chance she wanted to make him break into her hands so she needed a special place.

And she knew a perfect place for it. And it would be good if he knew how to dance a little because she had plans for him and the plan was to bring hell to his head, preferably... With all the fire and punishments and demons that hell was entitled to.

Raven remembered a dance club that had opened not long ago in a really heavy bar in Gotham. If her bar was in a bad spot, this club really was pretty worst. She could hear the whimper he was going to give... because the boy was a pain in the ass and a playboy of the best kind.

She didn't know why, but these places attract her more than anything in the world. Maybe it was because it was where humans sinned without any weight in their conscience. She liked to feel it, it was something that fed her, being one of the seven deadly sins.

Raven lit up like a Christmas tree, all the pain and dismay leaving her body. With a jump, she got up and ran into the wardrobe, it was still hours before he showed up, but she wanted to choose a suitable outfit.

\- "What to wear, what to wear... Damn, what to wear?" - She mumbled lost between her clothes and her belongings until she found a perfect dress - "Oh... That's good... Why do I have it hidden in the back of my wardrobe?" - she laughed posing in front of the mirror with the dress on her body. Strangely, uneasiness washed over her, an anxiety she didn't know as she ran around the house looking for lingerie, skin creams, hair things, and all sorts of things she would normally ignore. Raven hated to admit it, but hanging out with Damian was making her behave like a little girl getting ready for the spring ball at school.

But it was a good deed. After that, it would be over.... Right?

_Did she want it to end?_

She took a good long bath from the bathtub, passed nail polish, read a little, stuffed herself with creams on her face, slept a little, and then, at 10:00 PM, Raven was almost ready if she looked in front of the bathroom mirror .

The dark blue dress was a piece she never thought to wear, but now she wondered why she had not picked it up before. The top left her arms, clavicle, back and waists to show and the generous neckline left more than just the red stone of her necklace to show. The skirt of the dress was long, but with two huge side slits that left her legs free for the sight of everyone who wanted to look. The shade of blue stood out in the girl's pallor making her look menacingly beautiful.

Raven chose the outline in her eyes and the same magenta lipstick as ever. She seemed to be leaving for a gala party, but she knew if she had to use her best to fight Damian. And fighting him meant breaking the mental block he had with her best weapon: _seducing him._

Raven almost laughed at the thought of driving him crazy with desires and then sending him on a journey with no return to hell. When she got tired of the earth, she would pay him a visit in her father's kingdom... Despite having that strange feeling whenever she remembered the night before.

The doorbell rang and she looked at the clock, 23:01.

\- "I'm going..." - she shouted from the bathroom as she just straightened her hair. Then she picked up her things, an old purse, a wallet with some notes and her phone, and went outside to answer the door.

_"Maybe you don't have to kill him so quickly"_

Damian was at least an eye drop. He looked bored looking down the stairs, seeming to decide whether to jump or not. He wore a white button-down blouse with the same leather jacket he always wore. Raven had to bite her lip so she wouldn't just kiss him like the night before, unbutton each of those buttons and pull him into her bedroom.

\- "Hey, little bird... You've done your deal..." - He turned his attention to her, standing in the doorway. Raven felt from him several different nuances of feeling. Amazement, surprise, anger, desire, lust and anger again... Damn he was a delicious ball of hate and desire.

She could feel all this coming from him as he studied every detail of her, he looked at every detail of her dress, the crevices on the sides, the waist, lingering a little at the neckline and then, in her eyes.

\- "I'm a man of words..." - he merely told her, looking away again. - "Where are we going? Some restaurant or something?"

\- "Is that your vision of fun, bird boy? Oh no... No programming of old people and Gotham's boring high society... No... My fun, my rules..." - She laughed and turned around closing the apartment door - I hope you know how to dance, because that's what we're going to do...

\- "Dance? Were you serious?" - She could feel the incredulity in his voice.

\- "I told you yesterday that it would be something you hate to do as punishment..."

\- "No way am I going to do this ..."

\- "So you're going to give up our deal and simply be mine?" - She waved her hand, the mass of purple and black energy taking shape.

\- "You did it on purpose! You knew I wouldn't accept!"

\- "Damian, stop freaking out! You're too nervous and tense..." - She rolled her eyes, holding his arm as she began to force him down the stairs. - "We're going to a place where the young people of our age and our nature have fun... It wasn't intentional..."

\- "You're punishing me, so yes, it was intentional..."

\- "Yes, okay... it was intentional but not to make you give up... Just intentional to make you be punished for trying to make me a fool... Making a deal with a demon and running away from it later is really wrong."

\- "I was not trying to make you a fool... I just needed some time away from you and your powers."

\- "No matter, you'll dance with me today... Forget all these things while you're with me..." - She smiled at him - "You will see, by the end of the night, you will have fun and let go of this tense and boring thing that you call life..."

\- "In your dreams, Raven..." - He snorted. - "Okay, where are we going? I got Todd's idiot's bike, he deserved it for yesterday..." - He looked at her dress again as they finished down the stairs.

\- "Hey Damian, can you hold your pants and stop looking at my cleavage at least until we get back?" She innocently hid her cleavage with her hands laughing - "You can take it when we come back."

\- "You know I'm not looking at that..." - He shrugged - "And also, I've seen bigger and more revealing necklines than this..." - He stuck a hand in his pocket and took a key - "I'm just wondering if you're going to be able to sit on a motorcycle with that..." - He pointed to the crevices in her dress as he sat down on the red-blooded motorcycle. And gave him a helmet.

\- "Oh boy..." - She laughed - I always have a solution ... - she just held the crevices if a well tucked way at the thigh height, leaving all the rest of her legs free and then got on the bike while she put the helmet in her head. - "You go to the lower part of town... I advise you to leave the bike parked somewhere hidden and we go the rest of the way walking if you don't want your brother to lose it..."

\- "Why do you have to always go in the wrong places?" - she laughed, Raven could see him staring for a few seconds at her bare thighs around him, his mouth hanging open a little and she felt the wave of sensations coming at him so hard it almost made her dizzy... And Raven appreciated that. Maybe the motorcycle was a great opportunity for what she wanted.

\- "Because I'm a demon, Damian... Wrong places are where people get free... Now drive please?" - he shrugged if he turned forward.

\- "You need to know other places that don't involve criminals..."

\- "I'm fine..." - She laughed - "I like the bad guys."

\- "I can see this..." - He grunted.- "Hold on me..." - She wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling the scent he had. Was it cinnamon or was she imagining it?

Raven came back from her reveries about his scent feeling a soft touch of hot, calloused hands running up her calf to her thigh, squeezing a little as she pressed against his waist, sending a shiver down where he touched. She could have sworn she'd seen a smile, but she could not tell if she was delirious.

He was teasing her and she _loved_ it, but she also knew how to tease him and where to touch him to leave him imagining.

\- "Tighter..."- he grumbled and without looking at Raven's reaction (She gave a little squeak hiding her face on his back laughing), he started the bike. Raven laughed at the amount of senses she could feel in his actions, and as much as he really went fast on the bike, Raven felt the pang of lust coming from him

_Oh she didn't really count on that..._


	12. Chapter 12

Raven warned him to stop not much longer than 40 minutes after they left the door of her apartment. Damian had to control himself and concentrate 3 times more than he normally would with Raven doing her naughty provocations while keeping her arms and legs stuck to him tight, her fingers slipping innocently through the spaces between the buttons teasing and touching his abdomen lightly. Teasing her when they left was a bad idea, his mind traveled too far with those thighs around his waist. He decided that if there was a next time, he would consider picking up a car and preferably let them away from each other.

Raven advised him to park a few blocks earlier and go the rest of the way on foot. Damian followed her orders and followed the demoness who walked gracefully in a thin heel in front of him, Damian allowed himself to behold her bare back where a blue tie was holding the top of the dress, but still showed a thin blue lace of the bra she was wearing.

He had to hold himself so as not to make a joke of the devil wearing Prada when noticing the shoe that the woman wore. Being a Wayne, he learned to identify certain brands.

Primarily the _Prada_.

They weren't on a level of jokes yet, they were enemies and she was forcing him to spend another night in Gotham... One more week. Damian focused on the _anger_. However impossible it was seeing her swaying her hips sensually as she walked, and remember every time they kissed and how he wanted to kiss her the last time.

Damian was trying _hard_ to focus on his anger.

When they arrived, Damian could hear the music outside. The place was far below the standard he would attend, the kind that Todd would probably be seen, not a Wayne much less an Al Ghul... In fact he doubted a Wayne would know of the existence of that part of town.

It was an old house, with high lawn and some broken windows. He noticed that Raven was perhaps too elegant for such a place. He had to hold a laugh at the thought of getting into trouble because the girl decided to wear a Prada heels in a place like these. Without much effort, she made a quick move with her hands and people gave her space. Damian noticed that many were the same people who had been in the bar days before, including the security thief who was at the door of her nightclub.

Raven took Damian's hand with a smile and pulled him inside. The deafening sound inside made Damian grimace that just snatched a funny laugh from Raven. It was a song full of guitar riffs and bass playing in an over-permissible volume that made couples dance routinely on a hot, sweaty track. Damian wanted to run away like an idiot. He would never agree to go somewhere.

What kept him from running like a scared little boy was the gentle grip on Raven's hand and a warm smile that almost made him forget he was there.

\- "Are you alright?" - She asked, probably seeing his face.

\- "I'm not staying in a place like this..."

\- "You mean the kid who kills people in cold blood is afraid of a bit of lust? What is your fear, little bird? To taste and end up liking?" - She laughed

\- "is not it..."

\- "Anyway..." - She shrugged, dragging him into the bar and sitting on one of the benches. - "Look, you need to have a drink something, you need to relax..."

\- "I don't drink alcohol..."

\- "Bullshit..." - She took the menu - "Look, I'll ask the same for both of us, one dose and nothing else... Deal?

\- "Do I have a choice, Raven?" - She giggled like a happy child.

\- "No, you don't..." - She reached out and called the bartender. Damian couldn't help noticing that the man looked first at her cleavage while she spilled onto an improvised countertop. The bitterness already known to him went up in Damian's throat and instinctively he put his hand lightly on her back. Those men should show some respect for their customers.

It worked, the man when he saw Damian with his hand on Raven's back just jotted down the orders and left. Shortly after returning with lemon, salt and a clear liquid.

\- "Look, I'll show you how you drink and you repeat, okay?" - she did a whole ritual with the salt and the glass and then turned at once. After grimacing, she gave a huge smile - "Your turn..."

\- "What is it?" - He asked suspiciously sniffing the glass, the last time he drank anything from her, he accepted this agreement. And the last time he drank something with the stench so strong he had problems with dreams with her for 3 days.

\- "Tequila... Drink fast, it's not poisoned! Salt, turn around, lemon ..." - She smiled encouragingly.

\- "I'm not going to drink anything else, okay?" - he did the ritual she did and drank, almost spitting it all out at the same time. Raven laughed as she stared at him. He felt his throat burn, and he needed something to take that horrible taste out of his mouth.

\- "The lemon..." - She smiled giving it to him, he accepted as if it were the sweetest fruit in the world.

\- "Alcohol-based drinks always have this horrible taste, I'd rather not drink more..."

\- "You get used to it..." - She smiled at him.

\- "Oh, I hope I don't need to get used to it" - he muttered, and he didn't want to spend another week in Gotham. The sound stopped and all the lights went out, leaving only the front of the stage lit by focusing on a guy. He was small, Damian could barely see him.

\- "Good evening, my dear sinners..." - A sinister voice came out of the speakers, a little distorted, macabre - "Enjoy the night your bastards... Let your sins consume you..."

\- "I don't believe Chamos is the who opened this dump..." - Raven mumbled. - "Dad's going to be alone in hell by now."

\- "Who is Chamos?"

\- "Long story, but to sum up... It's a kind of royal butler... A real flat-footed boorish... I hope he doesn't recognize me, I can't stand the flattery." - she mumbled without looking at Damian. - "Lucifer said I should watch out for this bastard because he walks according to the tide... I just didn't think I would find this shit here in Gotham and in this dimension..."

\- "Are there different hells according to dimensions?"

\- "No... But there are several portals for various dimensions in hell... Just as there are several representatives of both heroes and demons in these dimensions... Did you know that I am a heroine in other dimensions? I always find this funny..."

\- "And who would you be in this dimension?" - Damian asked curious.

\- "Uhnn... Complicated answer, because in this dimension, on this earth, I don't know if I would fit the specification here because let's say the representative of our family is already well known... And I should theoretically not be here because I don't have one definite role other than to be the ruler of hell and all in the place of that relative who came to earth... But following your line of reasoning, I would be Pride... That is already very well represented by Lucifer..."

\- "Wait, are you telling me that in this dimension you are Lucifer?" - Damian looked at her a little startled and she just couldn't help but laugh.

\- "No... He exists and he lives in Los Angeles, but he's just a... Distant relative of Daddy... I call him uncle because he's like a rich uncle who fills me with pampering and always helps me with advice, because honestly, in terms of kinship, he is more a grandfather than an uncle... But, I continue being a hybrid that represents pride in another dimension in the multiverse...

\- "This is all very confusing..."

\- "The kingdom of hell is complicated, but everything is, well... In family... It's only you to think how for example you became the new Ra's and not your mother... I'm like the most powerful there, would inherit the throne in my father's place... But I don't want, not now..."

\- "That'll probably give me a headache if I think about it..." - She laughed and turned to ask for another drink.

Damian looked at the dance floor again, feeling a shiver in the back of his neck, wondering where his idiocy of not being able to say no to her was going to end up taking him.

\- "Let's stop talking about it... I said we'd have a fun night without all this hell and Robin and mission shit... Let's just forget about it for today..." - She raised her glass, staring at him.

\- "If you say..." - he grunted still without looking at her, paying attention to the couples on the dance floor

\- "What? Wanna Dance?"

\- "No way! I'm just wondering why I still accept the stupid things you propose..." - She laughed resting her hand on his leg.

\- "You mean you're assuming you can't say no to me?" - She leaned into the seat near him.

\- "Don't fuck..." - he grunted, trying to ignore their closeness and her fingers dancing innocently on his thigh. Her eyes danced a blood red spark squeezing his thigh, feeling the muscle there.

\- "I've never noticed that you're so strong... You should train hard enough to keep this body... Hours and hours of training" - She bit her lower lip, her eyes studying Damian in every inch... Being reached with every feeling of him, desire, nervousness, possession, lust, jealousy and pride... All with similar intensity as his eyes studied what she did and studied her.

For God's sake, she was making things worse for him like the first night they were together.

\- "Why are you doing this again? Yesterday you... You was much more drunk and more... A good girl... I would prefer her..."

_"Lie, you like her teasing you to the extreme"_

She laughed getting closer to him. Now she was standing between his legs, fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt.

\- "Do you know what they say about good girls?"

\- "What are you talking about?"

\- "All the good girls, they go to heaven... But I, Damian, I can't enter heaven..."

\- "Because you're a demon..."

\- "And so, I'm not a good girl... Yesterday I just kept a promise that I had made you, but I wasn't being good... Today I made no promise to behave and be good..." - She bit her lip as she always did.

\- "What are you trying to say?"

\- "I'm not going to be a good girl today, Damian..." - she whispered in his ear. Damian was seeing everything coming up again. And this time, he didn't feel bad... - "While they say that all good girls go to heaven and they will be angels and they will have rewards if they behave I like to say that bad girls are cool because their reward is here for the world... It's that popular saying , good girls go to heaven, but bad girls bring heaven to you... Keep that in mind, bird boy..." - She laughed away and disappeared among the couples dancing on the dance floor.

Damian was paralyzed, his brain probably overloaded and melted. She always had this power over him, to make him fall into all his most carnal instincts. And only the gods knew what was on his mind at that moment.

He felt hot, felt his face burn and other parts of his body seemed to burn. He didn't know if she had mirrored her feelings in him again or if he was growing weaker near her. He ended up ordering a beer to try to control his body temperature, the bad taste of the drink would help him put his head in place.

She came back shortly after, when he was already finishing the beer, trying to drink. She smiled, seeing him bored with the liquid inside the bottle. The lights blinked frantically to the sound of music he didn't know but that was slow and sensual, making the couples dance again as if they were one. Damian could feel the lust reaching each one of that place.

Even himself

\- "Oh this song.... It's not part of my setlist but I like what it conveys! Now you follow me to the dance floor... You're going to dance with me!"

\- "I don't dance, Raven! I told you this..."

\- "You have nothing better to do and I will not let you sit bored with a bottle all night..." - Damian didn't know if it was the alcohol in his system, but he was really confused by her mood swings. In minutes before she was a sensual demon and that made him think of things he shouldn't... And now she was a cheerful and excited girl who seemed to be going to the first waltz of the spring prom night.

He began to wonder if maybe she was getting tired of the role of femme-fatale...

And of course he thought it too soon.

\- "I don't dance, Raven... This is serious..." - He grunted, but was too late, she was already pulling him by the hands and taking him to the dancing couples glued together as if it were one in a slow and very sexual rhythm for his taste. She turned to him biting her lip.

\- "What is your fear, Damian Al Ghul? Come on, I'll help you... Your hands go here..." - She took his hand and placed it on her waist. - "No need to be afraid, I will not break, you can hold tighter, like you did yesterday at the door of my apartment..." - She giggled and Damian almost wanted to drop everything and leave.

She moved closer to him, almost glued. Damian wanted to scream, his mind was a thousand an hour and he couldn't filter the girl so close to him feeling every inch of her body against his now, as close as when they were on the motorcycle.. Raven only licked her lips in a provocative way and bit her lips as she always did, reached Damian's ear softly.

\- "Just follow me, okay? Let the music take you and follow me..." - He looked at her seriously before taking a deep breath, letting himself follow the movement of her waist in his hands. The music entered his mind and he could feel a sensation reaching each of his cells. He wanted to believe it was alcohol.

_Every little movement, Every little thing you do  
Is if sleight of hand the commands my heart to love you?_

Damian, with his eyes closed, let his face rest on Raven's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He still swayed shyly, his fingers trying to find a spot on the exposed skin of Raven's waist.

_Every little movement, Every motion of your hips  
I feel the compulsion to pull you to my sweet lips_

Damian was intoxicated by the scent of lavender from Raven's hair, he couldn't remember liking the smell of lavender so much, nor was he so fond of having someone invade his personal space. But he liked to feel Raven so close to him, her cold fingers dancing around his neck, plunging into his hair.

_See the black magic spell you put me under   
This miracle moment, never let it end_

Damian was tempted to give a butterfly kiss to Raven's neck, his hands clenched tightening with a little more force on her waist pulling her close to him listening to a heavy breath coming from her against his neck in response. He had a vague feeling that he was feeling connected to music somehow and part of his brain was trying to process the lyrics.

_Every little movement is beyond improvement  
You are the magician I've been wishing for forever_

He took courage to lift his face from the girl's shoulder and look into her eyes, maybe it was the alcohol giving him the courage, but he still felt good. At that moment, on the dance floor of a dirty, sweaty place, he was strangely feeling good... He didn't feel Damian Al Ghul, nor Damian Wayne ... He felt only Damian dancing with Raven. It was the second time he felt free from the bonds of his life.

_Every little gesture is a mystical caress  
And all of my fears disappear into this madness_

She held his face lightly, keeping him close to hers but not enough to kiss her. Just enough that their eyes could lock one in the other. Her eyes had that red blood, like two ruby stones shining in the darkness. _Ruby vs Emerald_.

They stared at each other for a while. Both dancing their way (Raven with more grace and sensuality, clearly), but to them... It just seemed correct.

Damian could see, despite the lights, she move her lips as if she were singing, just part of the song. The eyes still locked and she had a smile playing in the corner of her so-tempting-magenta-lips.

He was ready to get lost. She attracted him, he had to take it on himself... It was the first step. She drew him closer than he wanted to imagine... And he had this... weird feeling... in his chest... She was messing with his head and his body more than he expected or admitted. He had never felt so sexually attracted to a woman as he felt for her, and he was afraid of what it might become.

_You could hypnotise me, you could put me in a trance  
Or cut me in half laughing at my foolish romance_

Holy. shit.

Damian could have gotten out of the dance trance there, could have left her arms and gone from that place but he stayed there. Looking at her, she ran her fingertips along the back of his neck, still moving her lips to the music.

_See the black magic spell you put me under  
This miracle moment, never let it end_

Damian could feel his breath dripping, he could feel his brain melting, he could feel everyone around him stopping to turn and could see only her lips in front of him. Soft warm lips in magenta. Lips he wanted so hard to feel pressed against his.

Before he approached, she turned her back to him, still dancing against his body. Damian was really bad, he was losing the notion of right and wrong and his senses shouted ALERT to the dancing woman snaking against him. His hands were on hers traveling around her waist.

Damian could only look up and ask some god to send a thunderbolt before that "hormonal accident" happened, he remembered Todd saying he could not control himself and mentally had to agree with Todd.

Raven was hell.

A hot hell and he couldn't get away.

She turned to him again and Damian could only do one thing, rest his forehead on Raven's. Her eyes were closed, a shy smile on her lips and her hands on his face, his heart almost come out of his chest and he could see her chest rise and fall as if she had run a marathon. He was completely and hopelessly hypnotized by her. He felt as if he had fallen into a snake's trap.

He was a little mouse trapped in the mouth of a snake.

_You could bind me in blindfolds, you could put my heart in chains  
You could make the world vanish, but my Spanish love remains_

Damian was so close and so ready to kiss her. His heart throbbed more painfully. She licked her lips, her eyes were half-serried, waiting for the contact.

The music had stopped, at least he imagined   
The world had stopped, he could care less.

All he had to do was touch the magenta lips of a certain demon. He was sold to her without salvation to his soul. As in the dream, he didn't want to care about anything else.

The bee in the honey... It was the only thing that echoed in his head.

It seemed centuries ago that he was there fighting the urge to kiss her. He leaned ready to throw everything up and just surrender... He just needed to touch those lips and his soul would be sold

And he would touch, he just had to lean a little and...

Then she was taken from his arms, Damian was confused. She was in his hands and suddenly she was gone, just gone... It took two seconds for him to notice what was happening.

Raven was talking pointing at him with another guy, she was smiling. The music had come back to rumble on the walls with another ballad that he no longer mattered and he needed to take a breath.

He really needed to take a breath.

With a signal to her, he warned her that she would go to the bathroom or fucking wherever he could get some water and fresh air away from that dance floor. She made a "okay" with her lips and went back to talking to the man who had taken her from his arms.

Damian ended up getting into what should be a bathroom and decided to wet his face a bit. He needed to relax, he needed to fucking stop thinking about Raven dancing with him before, he had to fucking stop thinking about fucking everything with her. He needed to remember his mother's voice in his head and he needed to feel the weight of the world on his back so he would stop feeling it for her. Why did he feel his heavy heart? Why his breath was out of breath, why did he want SO MUCH to kiss her and feel her skin against his fingertips?...

Wearing that jacket seemed like a bad idea now, it was hellish heat and he didn't know if it was the temperature of the place or his body reacting to Raven... Or if it was both factors... But he really did not expect it to drag him to a party of a demon responsible for lust in a forgotten part of the city.

Damian didn't know what to say, what to do or how to act, he only knew two things:

1st: _Raven was a real box that didn't stop surprising him._

2nd and perhaps the most hard for him to admit to himself: _he was hopelessly attracted (and maybe something else) to her._


	13. Chapter 13

Damian intended to get stuck there a little longer until his heartbeat returned to normal or Raven gave up and decided to leave, or even stop hearing her voice inside his own head.

\- "I'm saying to you to let me go."

It was strange, it seemed that her voice was really there inside his head.

_Wait, what?_

\- "LET ME GO!" - Damian didn't know if it was possible, the music was loud enough but he heard her voice almost inside his head.

\- "What up, sweetheart? I saw you rubbing yourself at the little chicken that ran off in fear and probably should be away from here... Don't you like a real man holding you like this?"

\- "I already told you, LET ME GO!" - Damian was on alert, Raven was in danger and something told him He couldn't let that happen... Those guys would do her harm and he needed to avoid it.

A protective instinct seized him, and he scampered for Raven through the hall. She was still in the same place, but surrounded by the other 3 much guys than her stronger and the guy she was talking to before now were holding her arm so tightly that her knuckles were white.

Damian needed to act, _she was his... his mission... Mission..._

_His mission_

And he couldn't let anyone do anything to her. Not when he finally approached her the last two nights. He walked calmly to the men and tried to keep his voice in check.

\- "Let her go..." - Damian tried to make his voice louder than the music for them to hear as he walked toward Raven - "You heard her..."

\- "Damian... Wait for me outside, I can take care of it..." - She said trying to let go of the man's grip. Damian just raised an eyebrow at her and then looked back at the man.

\- "You heard her, you bastard. Now. Let Raven go!"

\- "Or what? Are you going to call the police? Or are you going to call your rich dad?" - The guy sneered, making the other men laugh. By now the music had stopped and the couples who had previously danced on the dance floor were now looking at the five men and the only woman in the middle of it all very carefully. Apparently, fights were the high point of the night out sex in that place.

\- "I will not say it again. She's with me." - Damian took his hands from his pocket, his own words making him uneasy.

_"She's mine, you meant"_

\- "Damian, you can leave... I'll take care of this, I already told you..." - She looked too serious for Damian, but he just ignored her by pretending she didn't say anything.

\- "Let her go, now!"

\- "Dave, give a lesson in that fucking little playboy how things happen here in this part of town..." - The man still holding Raven's arm spoke with a nod.

Damian flashed a manic smile, his funny would finally begin, his gaze met Raven's and she had the same glow of excitement as him. With a nod, he set off for Dave. The adrenaline of fighting again in Gotham racing through his veins.

He deflected some of the attacks, disarmed some of them, mentally wished he had taken his little cutter in his jacket pocket, swerved from a few knife strokes, got some superficial cuts, mostly on his face but managed to knock the guy down and leave him with a few fractures and a twisted neck. Before start fighting with the second guy, he could see Raven quickly in action, she stood a few inches away from the ground and her eyes had a full black shade.

Her hands had a black energy like tentacles that launched one of the men on the ceiling and on the floor. Gracefully she threw it against the bar breaking a lot of bottles and making the people who were still inside scream and run away through the only door to the street and leaving them alone with lots of blood on his feet. The guy who once held her arm was now lying in a corner trying to get up and hide, in vain.

Damian had never seen such power in anyone. Not even in her father. She didn't spill a drop of sweat, he fought and did well, but he had a bleeding nose, some cuts on his face, his shirt had been torn and he had blood stains on his clothes. How she could keep herself so graceful in a fight was a mystery to him. She also fought physically, punctured or punched, but her hands kept moving and the tentacles moved as extensions of her arms, picking and throwing, or strangling. She was _beautifully_ mortal.

She was like him, with no useless codes of justice, no strings attached. When she killed that men, Damian could see that her necklace glittered ghostly in her chest, radiating evil, and he was sure now that it wasn't just some jewel. Damian turned his attention back to his own fight, he hated using pocketknives, but it was better than just fighting in his hand.

When only the guy who once held Raven's arm remained, Damian noticed that they had knocked down at least 10 men... He couldn't remember where all those 7 had gone while they fought, but he felt better and more relaxed than ever. And then he looked at Raven, she held the man in the air, her skin was totally red, her eyes were all black now and he could see some veins beneath them and she was laughing like crazy. Her demonic side had taken over. For the first time, Damian felt afraid of someone.

\- _"You're an insignificant, human..."_ \- she said and Damian noticed that her voice was no longer musical, it was deadly, blade-cold, and distorted. - _"You should have listened when I told you to let me go... You're going to take a trip to my house..."_

\- "Raven... Dear Raven... Please... Leave me... I swear I'll never touch you again... I'll give you what you want, money? Jewels? I'll give you... But please, do not kill me... Let's keep this for business friendship as we always have..."

\- _"Too late to mourn and beg for mercy, useless human... You will know the wrath of the heiress of hell... You will know the wrath of Trigon's daughter..."_ \- She smiled and closed her fist, hanging the man in the air. Damian could see the man's life leaving his body and he didn't know if he should allow it, but before he could stop it, Raven just smiled at the sound of bones being broken.

\- "Raven?" - Damian grunted as he stared at her, setting himself in a position of attack.

\- _"She finally let me meet you..."_ \- She looked at him and walked slowly toward him, leaving Damian on alert, ready to attack (and probably die) if she attacked, but she didn't attack.

Quite the opposite.

She looked at him as if it were a delicious filet set at the dinner table. The tip of her fingers traced slowly through the tears of his shirt.

\- "Who are you talking about?"

\- _"I am the darker side of Raven's soul, her darkest part and her inner demon... Her other side... The one responsible for the fun. I am Lenore, her evil side... And you are delicious bunch of amusements Raven forbade me to approach... I think she's being greatly influenced by the feeling of the human part, Rachel..."_ \- She laughed, unbuttoning the rest of the buttons on his shirt. -_"Who do you think makes her do all those seduction games with you? If it depended on the silly human part of her, she would be a fragile and innocent little girl... I am the spice of her life... And I can be yours if you want..."_ \- her fingernail made a scratch that went down all over his chest just below his belly button and then licked the mark from the bottom up, keeping her eyes on his. The air caught in his throat. - _"We're alone here... We can get to know each other better."_ \- she mumbled in his ear.

\- "What are you proposing?"

\- _"This..."_

She smiled and just wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him into an intense kiss through the collar of his blouse, overloading Damian's brain. He still felt the adrenaline running through his blood making him act on impulse, returning the kiss. She pulled away little, her eyes still in that dark tone of battle and looked at him.

The adrenaline still flowed in his veins, for a second it seemed right for him to kiss that woman there, in the middle of a dance floor in a pigsty, dirty with blood and alcohol and eleven corpses on the floor.

The macabre seemed right to them.

Two murderers.

The heiress of hell and the grandson of the demon.

As if it were automatic, she pushed him against the wall and kissed him again as if her life depended on it. Damian's brain started working fast, something was really wrong there and to start with her. He needed to get her back to normal before she gave her complete control to her demonic part and it became a real problem. She wanted something from him, and for now it wasn't killing...

_"Play her game"_ came into his mind like at that bar night, it wasn't difficult, she was being moved by desire and was probably not thinking straight. Shifting his position he held her arms against the wall coming back to kiss her with the same intensity. She was letting her demonic side take control, she never let it go. He could already see the marks on her face like tattoos, he needed to act

He remembered that she had said the night before that she didn't give full control to her demonic side because her demonic side was thirsting for blood and death, she wouldn't stop there if Raven didn't return to normal now. And the only way he could do that now was to use what she wanted most: sex. The plan was simple: tease her to the max and demand that she return to normal. He was fighting his own instincts too, with his body reacting to wherever lust emanated from her.

\- "Bring her back..." - he grunted as he kissed her neck - "I'll do what you want, but only if you bring her back" - He went to her collarbone, coming down the neckline of the dress while biting her breast. She groaned in response.

\- _"No... Not while I don't ride on your pretty little face..."_ \- She grunted with her eyes closed. 

And there was only a feeling greater than the thirst for blood in the place: Lust. His hands loosened her arm to go to her thigh, pulling them to his waist.

\- "Bring. her. back..."

\- _"Why? Why do you want to fuck the normal Raven instead of me? The body is the..."_ \- she gasped when he bit her neck - _"The same... Is it some kind of fetish?"_

\- "I kind of like to see her eyes changing colors..." - She smiled in a sinister way when he said this and he began to see that her skin gradually turned pale again, her eyes slowly returning to ametyst...

But of course he celebrated too soon.

And of course his plan was stopped

It seemed that the gods didn't want him to have nothing sexual with her. He was always interrupted.

\- "What the fuck is going on here in the name of Satan?" - A little man's voice came from somewhere, almost killing Damian with fright. He moved away from Raven, almost to the opposite side of her - "Oh... Lord Trigon's daughter... It's a pleasure to finally serve you..." - He bowed in front of Raven.

\- _"Chamos..."_ \- Raven still had the sinister voice, levitating in the air and the tentacles of her power dancing behind her, her eyes returning to the black tone of seconds before and throwing all of Damian's effort into the trash. - _"Are you the owner of this shit? Decided to leave hell too or are here just to watch me, you filthy and wretched demon?"_ \- Damian looked from far away, but noticed that the other demon held a certain position of reverence for Raven.

\- "Never, Lady Raven... You have my full loyalty ..."

\- _"This body isn't yours... This isn't your human form, you possessed some bastard... What are you doing here?"_

\- "Hell is at war, Lady Raven... Since Lord Lucifer has given up the throne and the young lady who would be next in the succession of the throne is gone, more creatures have sunk into the human world... Beelzebub wants the throne and your father don't want to accept..."

\- _"What's different this time? Beelzebub never accepted that I inherited..."_

\- "The throne of hell is empty, Lady Lenore... The infernal princes are in council to decide what to do, but your father didn't accept it, he wants it on the throne... He already hired assassins to come after you..."

\- _"I already know that... The Al Ghul... "_ \- She looked at Damian - _"But they are not a problem anymore... At least for now"_ \- Her tentacles of power held the demon by the neck, threatening to cut him off. - _"I should send you back, Chamos... As a little message for my father and for all this asshole... Fuck all this shit about throne, I don't want... Would kill the poor human weak that you just got hold of the body? Yes, but... You deserve..."_ \- She walked and Damian noticed how even her posture changed, she became more serious, more sensual, more imposing. Her hip was swinging in a natural way, her small horns were now much larger than he had ever seen and her nails were like a bird's claws. She had the pose of a being of royalty, but also of a predatory animal.

He needed to stop her, her attention now was all about killing... He was about to bring her attention back to him and there was only one stupid thing in mind: Trying to count on the luck that Raven was somewhere in Lenore's head and heard him.

\- "Raven, stop!" - He shouted, catching her attention.

\- _"Damian?"_ \- The distorted voice made the hairs on the back of Damian's neck twitch, for a second he put himself in an attack position, ready to stop her if necessary, she looked at him for a few seconds, a mortal look that would make any Christian afraid .

\- "Raven... Listen to me... She's taking over. Lenore is taking control..."

\- _"Do you think I'm going to let this demon live? He's an informant of my father, a miserable sycophant who does everything for any crumb he can win... He doesn't deserve to live...."_ \- She was looking at him with those completely black and demonic eyes again - _"And Raven isn't here you idiot..."_

\- "I know you're somewhere, you told me she gets stuck in your mind and you can't let her have complete control, So you're stuck somewhere in her mind too...

\- _"You're an idiot if you think she's not agreeing to it, she wants to kill, just like she wanted to kill all these guys, just like she wanted to kill all the others before and just like she wants to kill you..."_

\- "I don't want to talk to you Lenore, I want to talk to Raven... I don't care that she wants to kill me, we already had this conversation... She knows that our destiny is this and that I'm going to fight even if it kills me" - He stepped away from the wall and walked cautiously to her. - "Raven, if you're there listening to me, I know... He's the scum, I understand... But don't kill him... It's me, Damian, I'm asking you... You've had your blood thirst quenched today... You've killed the men who wanted to hurt you... If you let her kill him, she will not stop."

\- _"Do you think I'm going to let him live?? So he's going after my father soon after? I already have to deal with you because of that, bastard..."_ \- Damian stepped into attack position again ready to stop her, she was losing control, she was unstable and he was sure If it wouldn't stop there if she was out of control. - _"So useless that you had an old body and no powers... Useless and dumb, that's what you are Chamos... An idiot, dumb, sycophant and useless who is going to die now for your insolence..."_

\- "Raven..." - Damian called her again - "You're losing control... One of your sides is controlling you and if she continues, you will not stop the killing... This is not what you wanted when you came to here, right? You wanted to have fun..."

\- _"She wanted a lot of stupid human things, but she has an insatiable thirst for blood and revenge too... She wants to get revenge on this world for her mother, or take revenge for her mother being fooled by a dumb cult and delivered on a tray to a demon... She hates Earth, she hates humans... She hates this place..."_

\- "And what do you want, Lenore? Begin the Apocalypse? Call the attention of whom you don't want to fight against you here?" - he managed not to go to her, it was too dangerous - "Raven... Please... Come back to being the Raven I met and who knows very well how to make me angry and that made me leave my hotel room at 02:00 AM to get the things of my brother's idiot... And that made me stay in Gotham another week because of a stupid deal... You can fight me later, from what I saw today, you're going to charge me to save this idiot's life with interest and monetary correction..."

\- _"He's going to hand me over to my father's forces... Everything Jared did in the last 8 months leaving my tracks clear so my father wouldn't find me would be in vain... Jesse is going to kill me to get the throne, Daddy's going to drag me anyway and I don't know if I'll be able to fight..."_ \- For a second he saw she was returning to normal, the red tint on her skin subsiding, her voice losing some of the distortion.

\- "He'll not try to hand you over to your father... Not if you teach him a lesson and make him your ally..." - Damian felt more at ease when he saw her eyes getting a familiar shade of magenta. - "You'll already get the attention of the police and Batman with these bodies here... From what I know of them, it will not take long to get there, there were witnesses and you killed a mafia boss, they will try to portray and you will be in danger with this much of people looking for you, you don't need your father too... The best thing you do now is to have this demon by your side, don't kill him, Raven..." - He reached out for her - "I give my word that no one will hurt you..." - She pondered for a minute before looking back at the man.

\- _"Whatever... No one can hurt me."_ \- She just tossed the man into the stereo, making it all fall on him before she grabbed Damian's hand and walked over to him, wanting to step on the men Damian had knocked over with her high heels. Damian now knew how Prada shoes were as deadly as a knife, he wished he never felt a thin heel needle stepping on him.

She jumped into his arms in a tight hug, seconds passed as she finally released him from her arms.

\- "You mean you were finally going to give in to my demonic side and that you like my eyes?" - He rolled his eyes, of course she wouldn't let it pass.

\- "Let's not talk about her, okay? Not even about what happened..."

\- "If you prefer..."

\- "Let's go back to what we were before... Her... Take control..." - she laughed.

\- "Well, at least now I'm sure you want me... And that you would do what I wanted if she let me come back"

\- "She played dirty... She used the force to hold me and I had the adrenaline injected into the blood to the maximum to use my imagination against myself. And it was part of the plan to bring you back... Don't get excited..."

\- "I'm always excited, bird boy..." - She laughed.

They were silent for a few seconds staring at Chamos in a corner and the bodies thrown to the floor until she resolved to speak

\- "You should have listened to me when I said I could handle it all by myself... You're all hurt..."

\- "And miss the fun of kicking some ass? No way!" - He laughed as he walked out of the house. Raven smiled at Damian's animation. Even with her eyes a strange tone of dark purple and a melodious voice, he couldn't help but find her deadly beautiful.

And it began to worry him more than to see her in action.

\- "Let's go, lucky we can pass by two civilians and escape the police... or the batman..."

\- "I find it difficult I go unnoticed by these two"

\- "That's true... Well, I'm going to clean up this mess first and leave it all looking like just a bar fight, besides taking care of Chamos..." - She smiled - "Wait outside, I'll not take too long..." - He arched his eyebrow and she just returned inside. Damian stayed not far from the door, still a little afraid she'd lose control again.

After not more than 10 minutes, she appeared again.

\- "Let's go?" - She smiled, walking in front of him. There she was again, the same playful smile as ever and a dress soiled with blood (and marks on her neck and chest that Damian chose to ignore)

\- "Let's go... Can you run?" - He looked at her.

\- "Damian Al Ghul, you're incredibly cute when you want, always filling me with surprises..." - She smiled and waved her hand, a purple vortex appeared in front of them - "Why run when I can just leave us where the bike is?"

\- "Why didn't you do it before? I had to come all the way having to focus on the direction and still deal with your stupid provocations!

\- "Because it's fun..." - She laughed - "And because now it's a emergency"

\- "No, it's not fun..." - He crossed his arms over his chest.

\- "Are you coming or are you going to walk?"- He took a deep breath. With the same manic smile as before they began to fight she entered the portal without looking at whether he was coming or not. Damian not wanting to risk staying there and getting into trouble with his father, entered the portal just behind her and seconds later, they were facing the motorcycle.

She was already the girl before, pale skin, amethyst eyes and a huge smile on her face.

\- "Done..." - she laughed showing the bike - "Damn, I really need to eat something and get some sleep, fight those guys and against Lenore control and use portals spend a lot of my energy... We can stop at some place to eat?" - Damian nodded and sat on the motorcycle, handing one of the helmets over to her.

Damian was twice surprised with her that night: when she used her real powers in the fight and when she arrived at the drive-thru and asked for at least 5 different snacks. She was hungry and he didn't expect her to eat so much after fighting.

He parked the bike and she made another portal, now leading them up a building. They sat on the floor as he watched her relish the potatoes.

\- "Hm... So you're Raven, Lenore and Rachel?" - She was silent for a second looking at the city lights ahead of her.

\- "Commander Lenore, actually... And Rachel Roth..."

\- "Who are they?"

\- "Lenore is my evil, my darkness and all the sins of the world, especially pride... It was like my father called me in hell before I could control it ..." - She stopped to drink soda as if she were counting 'how was your day at college?' - "Rachel is a funny story... I visited some dimensions before choosing this one and in all, I had a civil name... Rachel Roth for normal people, Raven for superheroes... So I baptized my most human part of Rachel... She liked it... And Raven is my birth name..."

\- "Lenore told me she's the one who makes you tease me... Is that true?"

\- "Lenore is a bitch, but our actions are together... She wanted to convince you that she is my best side..."

\- "And she's not..." - he grunted and she looked up at him with a smile.

\- "What?"

\- "She's not your best side, okay? It will not hurt me to admit this..." - She laughed. - "Your best side is you being these 3 parts... "

\- "Awwwn Damian..." - She laughed, squeezing his cheek. - "Do you know what that is? A bundle of life struggling to live in your stone heart..."

\- "Fuck you, Raven..."

\- "You wanted to fuck me almost an hour ago..."

\- "No, I didn't want to-"

\- "You said _'I kind of like her eyes'_..."

\- "You're not going to let this go, are you?" - She shook her head in denial.

\- "I kind of like your eyes too..." - She laughed.

\- "Uhnn... Thank you?" - He raised an eyebrow.

\- "You're welcome, bird boy..."

\- "There was another thing she said... Lenore said that you had forbidden her to approaching me... Why?"

\- "Because I already said... Lenore is a bitch... She only thinks of sex and blood, you saw... So after you messed me up and I had to spend all day meditating I forbade her to have control when you were close... She wanted me to bewitch you to get you to fuck me and said she would do it because I was 'taken by my human feelings'... She would do everything to get you to sleep with us and then kill you, including using our powers..."

\- "But you do it too... And you want to kill me, too."

\- "First thing, Damian, I don't want to kill you... Not if you don't try to kill me... I want to break your barriers, maybe break you psychologically, but kill? I don't think... I want to have fun with you as the good demon I am, that's all... But if you try to kill me or something, I will not hesitate to send you to hell... Second , I like the game... I like to make things difficult, and I don't use my powers because I want you to come willingly... Making you sleep with me being manipulated doesn't run too far than the guys I killed do, I don't I want to take away your right to choose just to satisfy my desire... But I'm still going to make your instinct more primitive take care and then I'll have sex with you..." - Damian couldn't avoid a wry laugh

\- "First, who says I'm going to have sex with you?"

\- "Uhnn..." - She looked at him - "Your body? You can't lie to yourself, do I need to remember the kiss of yesterday and all the others who came before and what almost happened today?"

\- "I told you it was part of the plan to bring you back to reality."

\- "Look, your plan was very real to me... It may even be true that you were just wanting to bring me back and not make me lose control but you can't deny that you gave in too..."

\- "I don't deny... But as soon as she brings you back I'd stop... You know I have control of it... Unless you used your power like you used against Todd..."

\- "I told you I don't want you fuck me because of my power of persuasion, I want you in full consciousness of what you're doing... I would never use my powers to force someone to sleep with me, I don't need this ..."

\- "Wait, you never used your powers on me?" - Damian grunted worriedly when she just shook her head.

\- "The only time I used it was in the dream spell... I thought I had used it the first time we met but no... I'm sure I didn't use anything..."

\- "This is bad" - he grunted, looking at the horizon.

They were silent for a few seconds staring at the lights ahead.

\- "I think I'll take this rest home, I urgently need a shower and sleep..." - she grunted as she stood up.

\- "Wait, you're not going to your apartment tonight..."

\- "What are you talking about?"

\- "I promised to keep you safe, so you're not going to your apartment today..."

\- "What?"

\- "You go to the hotel with me, I can sleep on the couch or the floor... This is not a question Raven, it's an order... You killed a gang boss, there's going to be retaliation... And there's that demon, I know you taught him a lesson, but probably one of the sides is going to send someone behind you without telling the police... Your apartment is the first place you go... Nobody knows who I am or where I am..."

\- "Damian, I can handle myself ..."

\- "And I gave my word to your demon... I don't go back and I can't too, it was a promise to a demon... You are under my protection until second order..."

\- "You also promised to do what Lenore wanted if she would bring me back ..."

\- "I can think about it..." - He laughed, not sure why he was feeling so light with her that he was joking - "If you're a good girl..."

She opened a portal again and they got out in the same parking lot where the bike was standing. When he passed the portal, she stared at him gaping.

\- "Wait, are you serious? Is it likely that I'll finally get you out of control?"

\- "Not at all" - he laughed as he climbed onto the motorcycle.

\- "Are you joking now? Seriously, we're joking now?" - he shrugged - "Unbelievable, Damian Al Ghul... Unbelievable"

\- "Come on... At least tonight you are under my protection... Tomorrow we can return to normal where I want to kill you and you play cat-and-mouse with me"

Raven snorted like a 5 year old girl which caused a laugh in Damian and without further ado, turned on the bike and drove happy to make her hear his voice and not be the tough head girl she was always.

He stopped at the door and handed the key to the bike along with a good tip for the valet at the door that was already almost falling asleep and took Raven's hand, pulling her inside, feeling the electricity run through his fingers, but ignoring it. As they were passing the hotel door, he remembered how they were. Ignoring they state, completely cut off, wounded and bloodstained in his clothing, he stepped into the elevator and closed the door before anyone else entered.

\- "Wow... This hotel is well... Expensive..." - She looked around the elevator - "So you mean you really are a playboy?"

\- "Oh shut up, you're wearing a Prada and want to talk about expensive hotel?" - Raven laughed.

\- "It was a gift from a long-time friend..." - she crossed her arms. - "Uhnn... Thank you..." - Damian looked at her with an arched eyebrow. Was she... _Thanking_ him?

\- "For?"

\- "For everything... It was a fun night at the end... We drank, we danced, we kicked some asses, and you stopped me from killing my human part..."

\- "I... I just used logic..." - He looked forward, was it his impression or was that elevator getting too slow to reach the 15th floor?

\- "Of course..." - She laughed - "Can I order pizza when we arrive?" - He looked at her in alarm. - "What? I said I spent a lot of energy fighting and using portals... I need to eat and sleep..."

\- "By the gods the flash should be jealous of you" - She laughed, pinching the last of the potatoes. - "Okay... But only if you ask one for me... I don't divide... And no pineapple..."

\- "What kind of monster do you think I am to order pizza with pineapple?" - She laughed and the elevator door opened revealing a quiet hallway and only two doors. Surely the room wasn't just a hotel room, Raven stepped out of the elevator first and walked slowly past her fingertips on the wall.

Damian hurried off the room card from his pocket, somehow, he remained intact, even with the fight, inside his jacket pocket.

\- "Here..." - He opened the door giving her room to enter, she turned her attention to him and smiled.

\- "Is that how you invite a woman into your room?" - She leaned against the wall and bit her lip, and he just rolled his eyes.

\- "Raven..."

\- "Ooookay, it was just a joke..." - She laughed and entered the room listening to the click of the door shortly after. It was dark but she could see some furniture, a glass window that overlooked the front buildings. It seemed to be a living room and not just a bedroom. Raven wondered what kind of person was staying in such a place and called only the _"room"_. He turned on the lights to reveal the space. There were two rooms there, larger than the tiny apartment she lived in. One with a tv, a couch, and other electronics, and one on the other, with a table full of paper and electronics that faced the huge glass windows in front of her.

\- "You call it a room?" - She looked at him. He had taken off his jacket and put the papers on the table on the other side of where she was. - "Damian, this is a luxury apartment!"

\- "I needed space" - He shrugged - "And it's a hotel room for me... I'm already used to places bigger than this..."

\- "Oh... You're definitely a big spender and playboy..." She threw herself onto the couch, ripping off her shoes anyway. - "This room is certainly much bigger than my entire apartment, of course..."

\- "You can't say that... I said, a expensive designer shoe to go to that place... And you have a business of your own... You sure have money..." - He crossed his arms looking at her.

Of course, when she arrived in Gotham, she had enough money to have an apartment like that, Lucifer had given her enough money that she could have chosen a bigger, more luxurious apartment than she had, but she preferred simplicity and the intimacy she could have in a small apartment and save much of the money for some emergency.

\- "Yes... I have some money saved for emergencies..." - She laughed - "And I could have used it for this kind of emergency like today, I don't need your protection, you know it..." - He took a deep breath

\- "I already told you, I gave you my word... I'll not let anyone hurt you... Besides, I need to take you alive..."

\- "Oh, I've forgotten that I'm your mission... Damn right now that I thought we could have fun..."

\- "Shut up, Raven. I don't know why you insist on these bullshit..."

\- "Make you nervous is fun, I told you" - she said, leaning her torso on her elbows. - "I think I need a shower..." - Raven dropped her body to the sofa, staring at the ceiling, she stretched, feeling each of her bones rattling

\- "Come here... I'll give you some things..." - She got up and followed him to a door. There was a big bed in front of her and a closet with some hanging clothes and a suitcase thrown carelessly in the corner of the room along with designer bags and a thick rug. - "You need clothes to sleep on, but I don't have women's clothes here, so I'll see if I have anything that suits you... There are clean towels in the closet... The bathroom is there" - He pointed to a door

\- "Yes, daddy..." - she laughed.

\- "Wait, what?" - Damian felt his cheeks flushing, making the woman laugh more, throwing her head back.

\- "Hey, calm down, it's just that you're giving me orders like you're my dad... Don't take the sexual side, boy..." - she bit her lip - "but if you want to..."

\- "Shut up and go take a shower... I'll leave you a shirt for you here in bed..."

\- "I need underwear too... Unless you want me without them." - She laughed and he rolled his eyes - "Just kidding, give me one of those boxers you wear and I'll do it my way..." - she walked over the closet to get two towels - "After I get out of this bath I'll order pizza, you go to a good bath and I'll clean those your cuts... Understood?" - He smiled.

\- "Yes, mom..." - He returned the joke, feeling strangely calm. She opened a huge smile for him hugging the towels.

The night would be long, at least for him.


	15. Chapter 15

Raven warned him to stop not much longer than 40 minutes after they left the door of her apartment. Damian had to control himself and concentrate 3 times more than he normally would with Raven doing her naughty provocations while keeping her arms and legs stuck to him tight, her fingers slipping innocently through the spaces between the buttons teasing and touching his abdomen lightly. Teasing her when they left was a bad idea, his mind traveled too far with those thighs around his waist. He decided that if there was a next time, he would consider picking up a car and preferably let them away from each other.

Raven advised him to park a few blocks earlier and go the rest of the way on foot. Damian followed her orders and followed the demoness who walked gracefully in a thin heel in front of him, Damian allowed himself to behold her bare back where a blue tie was holding the top of the dress, but still showed a thin blue lace of the bra she was wearing.

He had to hold himself so as not to make a joke of the devil wearing Prada when noticing the shoe that the woman wore. Being a Wayne, he learned to identify certain brands.

Primarily the _Prada_

They weren't on a level of jokes yet, they were enemies and she was forcing him to spend another night in Gotham... _One more week_. Damian focused on the anger. However impossible it was seeing her swaying her hips sensually as she walked, and remember every time they kissed and how he wanted to kiss her the last time.

Damian was trying hard to focus on his anger.

When they arrived, Damian could hear the music outside. The place was far below the standard he would attend, the kind that Todd would probably be seen, not a Wayne much less an _Al Ghul_... In fact he doubted a Wayne would know of the existence of that part of town.

It was an old house, with high lawn and some broken windows. He noticed that Raven was perhaps too elegant for such a place. He had to hold a laugh at the thought of getting into trouble because the girl decided to wear a Prada heels in a place like these. Without much effort, she made a quick move with her hands and people gave her space. Damian noticed that many were the same people who had been in the bar days before, including the security thief who was at the door of her nightclub.

Raven took Damian's hand with a smile and pulled him inside. The deafening sound inside made Damian grimace that just snatched a funny laugh from Raven. It was a song full of guitar riffs and bass playing in an over-permissible volume that made couples dance routinely on a hot, sweaty track. Damian wanted to run away like an idiot. He would never agree to go somewhere.

_What kept him from running like a scared little boy was the gentle grip on Raven's hand and a warm smile that almost made him forget he was there._

\- "Are you alright?" - She asked, probably seeing his face.

\- "I'm not staying in a place like this..."

\- "You mean the kid who kills people in cold blood is afraid of a bit of lust? What is your fear, _little bird_? To taste and end up liking?" - She laughed

\- "is not it..."

\- "Anyway..." - She shrugged, dragging him into the bar and sitting on one of the benches. - "Look, you need to have a drink something, you need to relax..."

\- "I don't drink alcohol..."

\- "Bullshit..." - She took the menu - "Look, I'll ask the same for both of us, one dose and nothing else... _Deal_?"

\- "Do I have a choice, Raven?" - She giggled like a happy child.

\- "No, you don't..." - She reached out and called the bartender. Damian couldn't help noticing that the man looked first at her cleavage while she spilled onto an improvised countertop. The bitterness already known to him went up in Damian's throat and instinctively he put his hand lightly on her back. Those men should show some respect for their customers.

_It worked_, the man when he saw Damian with his hand on Raven's back just jotted down the orders and left. Shortly after returning with lemon, salt and a clear liquid.

\- "Look, I'll show you how you drink and you repeat, okay?" - she did a whole ritual with the salt and the glass and then turned at once. After grimacing, she gave a huge smile - "Your turn..."

\- "What is it?" - He asked suspiciously sniffing the glass, the last time he drank anything from her, he accepted this agreement. And the last time he drank something with the stench so strong he had problems with dreams with her for 3 days.

\- "Tequila... Drink fast, it's not poisoned! Salt, turn around, lemon ..." - She smiled encouragingly.

\- "I'm not going to drink anything else, okay?" - he did the ritual she did and drank, almost spitting it all out at the same time. Raven laughed as she stared at him. He felt his throat burn, and he needed something to take that horrible taste out of his mouth.

\- "The lemon..." - She smiled giving it to him, he accepted as if it were the sweetest fruit in the world.

\- "Alcohol-based drinks always have this horrible taste, I'd rather not drink more..."

\- "You get used to it..." - She smiled at him.

\- "Oh, I hope I don't need to get used to it" - he muttered, and he didn't want to spend another week in Gotham. The sound stopped and all the lights went out, leaving only the front of the stage lit by focusing on a guy. He was small, Damian could barely see him.

\- "Good evening, my dear sinners..." - A sinister voice came out of the speakers, a little distorted, macabre - "Enjoy the night your bastards... Let your sins consume you..."

\- "I don't believe _Chamos_ who opened this dump..." - Raven mumbled. - "Dad's going to be alone in hell by now."

\- "Who is _Chamos_?"

\- "Long story, but to sum up... It's a kind of royal butler... A real bootlicker boorish... I hope he doesn't recognize me, I can't stand the flattery." - she mumbled without looking at Damian. - "_Grandpa_... I mean... Lucifer said I should watch out for this bastard because he walks according to the tide... I just didn't think I would find this shit here in Gotham and in this dimension..."

\- "Are there different hells according to dimensions?"

\- "No... But there are several portals for various dimensions in hell ... Just as there are several representatives of both heroes and demons in these dimensions... Did you know that I am a heroine in other dimensions? I always find this funny..."

\- "And who would you be in this dimension?" - Damian asked curious.

\- "Uhnn... Complicated answer, because in this dimension, on this earth, I don't know if I would fit the specification here because let's say the representative of our family is already well known... And I should theoretically not be here because I don't have one definite role other than to be the ruler of hell and all in the place of that relative who came to earth... But following your line of reasoning, I would be _Pride_... That is already very well represented by Grandpa Lucifer..."

\- "Wait, are you telling me that in this dimension you are Lucifer?" - Damian looked at her a little startled and she just couldn't help but laugh.

\- "No... He exists and he lives in Los Angeles, but he's just a... Distant relative of Daddy... I call him grandpa because he's like a rich grandfather who fills me with pampering and always helps me with advice, because honestly, in terms of kinship, he is more a grandfather than an uncle... But, I continue being a hybrid that represents pride in another dimension in the multiverse..."

\- "This is all very confusing..."

\- "The kingdom of hell is complicated, but everything is, well... In family... It's only you to think how for example you became the new Ra's and not your mother... I'm like the most powerful there, would inherit the throne in my father's place... But I don't want, not now...

\- "That'll probably give me a headache if I think about it..." - She laughed and turned to ask for another drink.

Damian looked at the dance floor again, feeling a shiver in the back of his neck, wondering where his idiocy of not being able to say no to her was going to end up taking him.

\- "Let's stop talking about it... I said we'd have a fun night without all this hell and Robin and mission shit... Let's just forget about it for today..." - She raised her glass, staring at him.

\- "If you say..." - he grunted still without looking at her, paying attention to the couples on the dance floor

\- "What? Wanna Dance?"

\- "No way! I'm just wondering why I still accept the stupid things you propose..." - She laughed resting her hand on his leg.

\- "You mean you're assuming you can't say no to me?" - She leaned into the seat near him.

\- "Don't fuck..." - he grunted, trying to ignore their closeness and her fingers dancing innocently on his thigh. Her eyes danced a blood red spark squeezing his thigh, feeling the muscle there.

\- "I've never noticed that you're so strong... You should train hard enough to keep this body... Hours and hours of training" - She bit her lower lip, her eyes studying Damian in every inch... Being reached with every feeling of him, desire, nervousness, possession, lust, jealousy and pride... All with similar intensity as his eyes studied what she did and studied her.

_For God's sake, she was making things worse for him like the first night they were together._

\- "Why are you doing this again? Yesterday you... You was much more drunk and more... A good girl... I would prefer her..."

\- "It's a lie, you like me teasing you to the extreme"

She laughed getting closer to him. Now she was standing between his legs, fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt.

\- "Do you know what they say about good girls?"

\- "What are you talking about?"

\- "All the good girls, they go to heaven... But I, Damian, I can't enter heaven..."

\- "Because you're a demon..."

\- "And so, I'm not a good girl... Yesterday I just kept a promise that I had made you, but I wasn't being good... Today I made no promise to behave and be good..." - She bit her lip as she always did.

\- "What are you trying to say?"

\- "I'm not going to be a good girl today, Damian..." - she whispered in his ear. Damian was seeing everything coming up again. And this time, he didn't feel bad... - "While they say that all good girls go to heaven and they will be angels and they will have rewards if they behave I like to say that bad girls are cool because their reward is here for the world... It's that popular saying , good girls go to heaven, but bad girls bring heaven to you... Keep that in mind, bird boy..." - She laughed away and disappeared among the couples dancing on the dance floor.

Damian was paralyzed, his brain probably overloaded and melted. She always had this power over him, to make him fall into all his most carnal instincts. And only the gods knew what was on his mind at that moment.

He felt hot, felt his face burn and other parts of his body seemed to burn. He didn't know if she had mirrored her feelings in him again or if he was growing weaker near her. He ended up ordering a beer to try to control his body temperature, the bad taste of the drink would help him put his head in place.

She came back shortly after, when he was already finishing the beer, trying to drink. She smiled, seeing him bored with the liquid inside the bottle. The lights blinked frantically to the sound of music he didn't know but that was slow and sensual, making the couples dance again as if they were one. Damian could feel the lust reaching each one of that place.

_Even himself_

\- "Oh this song.... It's not part of my setlist but I like what it conveys! Now you follow me to the dance floor... You're going to dance with me!"

\- "I don't dance, Raven! I told you this..."

\- "You have nothing better to do and I will not let you sit bored with a bottle all night..." - Damian didn't know if it was the alcohol in his system, but he was really confused by her mood swings. In minutes before she was a sensual demon and that made him think of things he shouldn't... And now she was a cheerful and excited girl who seemed to be going to the first waltz of the spring prom night.

He began to wonder if maybe she was getting tired of the role of femme-fatale...

And of course he thought it too soon.

\- "I don't dance, Raven... This is serious..." - He grunted, but was too late, she was already pulling him by the hands and taking him to the dancing couples glued together as if it were one in a slow and very sexual rhythm for his taste. She turned to him biting her lip.

\- "What is your fear, Damian Al Ghul? Come on, I'll help you... Your hands go here..." - She took his hand and placed it on her waist. - "No need to be afraid, I will not break, you can hold tighter, like you did yesterday at the door of my apartment..." - She giggled and Damian almost wanted to drop everything and leave.

She moved closer to him, almost glued. Damian wanted to scream, his mind was a thousand an hour and he couldn't filter the girl so close to him feeling every inch of her body against his now, as close as when they were on the motorcycle.. Raven only licked her lips in a provocative way and bit her lips as she always did, reached Damian's ear softly.

\- "Just follow me, okay? Let the music take you and follow me..." - He looked at her seriously before taking a deep breath, letting himself follow the movement of her waist in his hands. The music entered his mind and he could feel a sensation reaching each of his cells. He wanted to believe it was alcohol.

_Every little movement, Every little thing you do  
Is if sleight of hand the commands my heart to love you?_

Damian, with his eyes closed, let his face rest on Raven's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He still swayed shyly, his fingers trying to find a spot on the exposed skin of Raven's waist.

_Every little movement, Every motion of your hips  
I feel the compulsion to pull you to my sweet lips_

Damian was intoxicated by the scent of lavender from Raven's hair, he couldn't remember liking the smell of lavender so much, nor was he so fond of having someone invade his personal space. But he liked to feel Raven so close to him, her cold fingers dancing around his neck, plunging into his hair.

_See the black magic spell you put me under   
This miracle moment, never let it end_

Damian was tempted to give a butterfly kiss to Raven's neck, his hands clenched tightening with a little more force on her waist pulling her close to him listening to a heavy breath coming from her against his neck in response. He had a vague feeling that he was feeling connected to music somehow and part of his brain was trying to process the lyrics.

_Every little movement is beyond improvement  
You are the magician I've been wishing for forever_

He took courage to lift his face from the girl's shoulder and look into her eyes, maybe it was the alcohol giving him the courage, but he still felt good. At that moment, on the dance floor of a dirty, sweaty place, he was strangely feeling good... He didn't feel Damian Al Ghul, nor Damian Wayne ... He felt only Damian dancing with Raven. It was the second time he felt free from the bonds of his life.

_Every little gesture is a mystical caress  
And all of my fears disappear into this madness_

She held his face lightly, keeping him close to hers but not enough to kiss her. Just enough that their eyes could lock one in the other. Her eyes had that red blood, like two ruby stones shining in the darkness. Ruby vs Emerald.

They stared at each other for a while. Both dancing their way (Raven with more grace and sensuality, clearly), but to them... It just seemed correct.

Damian could see, despite the lights, she move her lips as if she were singing, just part of the song. The eyes still locked and she had a smile playing in the corner of her so-tempting-magenta-lips.

He was ready to get lost. She attracted him, he had to take it on himself... It was the first step. She drew him closer than he wanted to imagine... And he had this... weird feeling... in his chest... She was messing with his head and his body more than he expected or admitted. He had never felt so sexually attracted to a woman as he felt for her, and he was afraid of what it might become.

_You could hypnotise me, you could put me in a trance  
Or cut me in half laughing at my foolish romance_

Holy. shit.

Damian could have gotten out of the dance trance there, could have left her arms and gone from that place but he stayed there. Looking at her, she ran her fingertips along the back of his neck, still moving her lips to the music.

_See the black magic spell you put me under  
This miracle moment, never let it end_

Damian could feel his breath dripping, he could feel his brain melting, he could feel everyone around him stopping to turn and could see only her lips in front of him. Soft warm lips in magenta. Lips he wanted so hard to feel pressed against his.

Before he approached, she turned her back to him, still dancing against his body. Damian was really bad, he was losing the notion of right and wrong and his senses shouted ALERT to the dancing woman snaking against him. His hands were on hers traveling around her waist.

Damian could only look up and ask some god to send a thunderbolt before that "hormonal accident" happened, he remembered Todd saying he could not control himself and mentally had to agree with Todd.

_Raven was hell._

A hot hell and he couldn't get away.

She turned to him again and Damian could only do one thing, rest his forehead on Raven's. Her eyes were closed, a shy smile on her lips and her hands on his face, his heart almost come out of his chest and he could see her chest rise and fall as if she had run a marathon. He was completely and hopelessly hypnotized by her. He felt as if he had fallen into a snake's trap.

He was a little mouse trapped in the mouth of a snake.

_You could bind me in blindfolds, you could put my heart in chains  
You could make the world vanish, but my Spanish love remains_

Damian was so close and so ready to kiss her. His heart throbbed more painfully. She licked her lips, her eyes were half-serried, waiting for the contact.

The music had stopped, at least he imagined   
The world had stopped, he could care less.

All he had to do was touch the magenta lips of a certain demon. He was sold to her without salvation to his soul. As in the dream, he didn't want to care about anything else.

The bee in the honey... It was the only thing that echoed in his head.

It seemed centuries ago that he was there fighting the urge to kiss her. He leaned ready to throw everything up and just surrender... He just needed to touch those lips and his soul would be sold

And he would touch, he just had to lean a little and...

Then she was taken from his arms, Damian was confused. She was in his hands and suddenly she was gone, just gone... It took two seconds for him to notice what was happening.

Raven was talking pointing at him with another guy, she was smiling. The music had come back to rumble on the walls with another ballad that he no longer mattered and he needed to take a breath.

He really needed to take a breath.

With a signal to her, he warned her that she would go to the bathroom or fucking wherever he could get some water and fresh air away from that dance floor. She made a "okay" with her lips and went back to talking to the man who had taken her from his arms.

Damian ended up getting into what should be a bathroom and decided to wet his face a bit. He needed to relax, he needed to fucking stop thinking about Raven dancing with him before, he had to fucking stop thinking about fucking everything with her. He needed to remember his mother's voice in his head and he needed to feel the weight of the world on his back so he would stop feeling it for her. Why did he feel his heavy heart? Why his breath was out of breath, why did he want _SO MUCH_ to kiss her and feel her skin against his fingertips?...

Wearing that jacket seemed like a bad idea now, it was hellish heat and he didn't know if it was the temperature of the place or his body reacting to Raven... Or if it was both factors... But he really did not expect it to drag him to a party of a demon responsible for lust in a forgotten part of the city.

Damian didn't know what to say, what to do or how to act, he only knew two things:

1st: Raven was a real box that didn't stop surprising him.

2nd and perhaps the most hard for him to admit to himself: he was hopelessly attracted (and maybe something else) to her.


End file.
